“Don’t be angry anymore!” Cheng Yi awkwardly touched his nose and said, “He said he knew you were sick and specially went to Changchun Cave to obtain cold remedy pills, sending them over through a servant. Who knew it would make you angry? He doesn’t know what happened and wants to apologize to you…” Seeing Zhou Shaojin’s face darken, he hurriedly explained, “I also know this isn’t appropriate, but he spoke very sincerely, and it was in front of Cheng Nuo and the others. I was afraid it would be really hard to refuse, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and make this trip.”

Zhou Shaojin remained silent.

The Cheng family had five branches in total. Cheng Lu belonged to a collateral line of the fifth branch, quite distant from the other branches. Having lost his father at a young age, though his family was wealthy, corvée labor and taxes were fiercer than tigers. Cheng Lu’s mother, Dong Shi, came from a humble merchant background, and her natal family had no one who could help. She initially relied on the fifth branch, but the fifth branch could barely take care of itself—how could they manage the affairs of Cheng Lu’s family? Left with no choice, Dong Shi turned to the fourth branch. Old Madam Guan had been widowed at a young age, and seeing the similarly young widowed Dong Shi, she couldn’t help but feel some sympathy. She registered Cheng Lu’s family property under the fourth branch’s name, exempting them from corvée labor and taxes, and recommended Cheng Lu to study at the Cheng clan school.

Dong Shi was grateful for Old Madam Guan’s great kindness and frequently visited the fourth branch. Moreover, Cheng Lu had the makings of a scholar. At a young age, he had already passed both the county and prefectural examinations. Dong Shi thought that in the future, there would be many occasions when she would need to ask favors from the fourth branch for her son’s sake. Old Madam Guan, seeing this widowed mother and orphaned son, was reminded of her own family’s early hardships and from time to time instructed her sons and daughters-in-law to look after Cheng Lu’s family more. Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi thus both took good care of Cheng Lu. With one side willing and the other receptive, the relationship between Cheng Lu’s family and the fourth branch became even closer.

So Cheng Yi found it difficult to refuse Cheng Lu?

It turned out the cause was the words she had Song Qing relay to Cheng Lu.

If she hadn’t said those words, would all these complications not have arisen?

Zhou Shaojin felt something stir in her heart, but she also knew this wasn’t the right time to pursue this matter. She said, “So you didn’t come to see me—you came to deliver a message for Cheng Lu? My joy was all for nothing.”

“No, no.” Cheng Yi anxiously waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “I really did come to visit you—this morning when elder brother went to pay respects to grandmother, he asked about your illness, and when he saw eldest cousin, he asked again. Cheng Lu was just incidental, just incidental.”

The two were going back and forth when suddenly a maid knocked at the door: “Second Miss, Cui Huan from Miss Jia’s side has come.”

Cheng Yi was greatly startled. He stood up wanting to find a place to hide, but after scanning the room, he couldn’t find anywhere. Growing anxious, he complained, “This Cheng Jia, always acting on impulse. She clearly knows you’re sick, yet she still sends someone to find you. Why can’t she just be quiet for a while?”

Zhou Shaojin said nothing.

Her feelings toward Cheng Jia were very complicated, and sometimes she even engaged in self-deception, thinking that if she didn’t think about certain things, she could pretend they had never happened.

Especially in her memory, Cheng Jia had been married far away and forbidden from ever returning to the Cheng family. For someone who took family honor as her glory, this punishment was probably more painful than death, wasn’t it?

She pointed to the grand armchair in the room and said to Cheng Yi, “Just sit there quietly. I’ll go out and take a look.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Cheng Yi quieted down.

Zhou Shaojin left the study and saw Cui Huan accompanied by Shi Xiang, standing beneath the grape arbor.

“Second Miss!” Hearing the sound, both hurried forward to pay their respects.

Zhou Shaojin carefully examined Cui Huan.

A light green plain Hangzhou silk vest, white embroidered skirt, small silver lilac ornaments hanging from her ears—she was arranged neatly and cleanly, like a tuberose blooming in a corner by the wall.

Yet in her impression, Cui Huan was in her thirties, with a corpulent figure and sallow complexion, wrapped in a parrot-green Luzhou silk jacket, kneeling before her hanging flower gate with her neck stretched out, saying, “You suffered injustice because that was your own choice. Does that mean our young miss escaped unscathed? Instead of settling accounts with that Wu Baozhang, you hold a grudge against our young miss—what kind of sense does that make? If it weren’t for our young miss’s dying command, even if I got lost, I would never have come to your estate, Madam Lin…”

To her, Cui Huan was a wicked servant, but to Cheng Jia, she was a loyal one!

Zhou Shaojin’s expression became somewhat obscure and difficult to read. In the eyes of Cui Huan and Shi Xiang, this made them feel uneasy.

Cui Huan and Shi Xiang exchanged glances and called out “Second Miss” in unison.

Zhou Shaojin came back to herself and took a deep breath, which made her feel somewhat better.

She asked Cui Huan, “What does your young miss want you to come here for?”

The question was somewhat impolite. But Zhou Shaojin had grown up with Cheng Jia like real sisters—quarreling today, making up tomorrow, making up tomorrow and quarreling the day after. It was hardly the place for servants and old women attending them to interfere.

Cui Huan smiled and said, “Our young miss heard that Second Miss was ill and couldn’t go out, and thought you must be bored at home. The other day, didn’t Elder Master Zheng go to Mount Wutai with a few friends? He returned home last night. Our young miss saw that Elder Master Zheng brought back several boxes of white-surfaced gold-painted Sichuan fans, so she asked for two boxes. She kept one box for herself and had this servant bring one box over for you to paint fan surfaces when you have nothing to do. In a few days when summer arrives, they’ll be perfect for use.”

The “Elder Master Zheng” she mentioned was Cheng Jia’s elder brother Cheng Zheng, heir to the second branch.

Zhou Shaojin nodded and had Shi Xiang accept the fans, saying, “Go tell your Second Miss that I need a few more days to recover. When I’m better, I’ll naturally go find her to play.”

Cui Huan smiled, curtsied, and was seen out by Shi Xiang.

Zhou Shaojin returned to the study.

Cheng Yi was scratching his ears and cheeks in the room, saying, “Good sister, give me a few of those fans! This morning at school I heard that Cousin Zheng made a good friend from Meizhou at Mount Wutai, and someone gave him several boxes of white-surfaced fans from Yuecao Hall—smooth as spring ice, fine as silk cocoons. When summer comes, I can give them as gifts.”

Zhou Shaojin turned and brought in the fans, stuffing them all into his arms, saying, “I’ll give them all to you. Is that all right?”

“You’re not keeping any?” Cheng Yi was astonished.

“If I don’t give them to you, you’ll say I’m stingy. If I give them to you, you complain there are too many.” As Zhou Shaojin spoke, she reached for the box. “Do you want them or not?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Cheng Yi turned around, clutching the box tightly. “Good sister, I was just teasing you. Elder brother thanks you right here. If you ever need anything in the future, just order elder brother around. Elder brother will go through fire and water, never refusing unto death!”

This brainless fool, speaking such reckless words.

Zhou Shaojin said irritably, “I wouldn’t dare accept your vow of ‘never refusing unto death.’ I only ask that you stop trying to please that Cheng Lu and running errands for him.”

Cheng Yi laughed awkwardly, making his own excuses: “When did little sister’s tongue become so sharp? I can’t out-talk you. Can’t I just admit defeat?” As he spoke, he clutched the box and made to leave.

Zhou Shaojin froze.

Yes, when had her tongue become so sharp?

In the several days since she had awakened, she hadn’t spoken as much as she had spoken with Cheng Yi today.

Zhou Shaojin saw Cheng Yi out.

Just as they emerged from the study, she saw in the distance Shi Xiang accompanying an old woman with graying hair but a sturdy frame walking toward them.

Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Yi were shocked.

That old woman looked like Nanny Wang… When they came a few steps closer, they could see clearly—autumn-fragrance-colored Hangzhou silk jacket with eight-treasure pattern, gold hairpin without any oil stains, rosewood prayer beads, face full of wrinkles. If it wasn’t Nanny Wang, who could it be?

Cheng Yi took to his heels: “I’ll leave this to you!”

He darted into the nearby bamboo grove and disappeared in a flash.

How could Zhou Shaojin still care about him?

She hurried forward and curtsied to Nanny Wang.

Nanny Wang immediately supported Zhou Shaojin, but her eyes glanced toward the rustling bamboo grove, saying, “Second Miss, you’re making this old woman feel too honored!”

“Nanny is too polite!” Zhou Shaojin’s back was breaking out in cold sweat. Having performed only half the courtesy, she couldn’t squat down any further and was held up by Nanny Wang.

She had no choice but to stand up.

Nanny Wang looked at her with a smile, the wrinkles on her face deepening: “Second Miss, the old madam sent me to give you a message, asking you to come over.”

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t hide her astonishment.

Nanny Wang was her grandmother’s wet nurse. She had followed her grandmother when she married from Jingzhou Prefecture to Jinling City. After the old master passed away, she helped grandmother manage the household, raise the children, and handle common affairs. She was someone who had rendered meritorious service to the fourth branch of the Cheng family. Not to mention Old Madam Guan and the two uncles—even the First Master from the main branch would stand up and respectfully address her as “Nanny Wang” when he saw her.

She was already over seventy years old and by rights should have been released long ago to enjoy her retirement. But her only son had died young, the household couldn’t do without her, so she continued serving grandmother. The couple had rarely been together, had no other children, and her husband had also passed away. If she left the mansion, there would be no one to care for her. Grandmother had wanted her to adopt an heir, but she said she feared the trouble and was unwilling. So grandmother specially allocated a two-to-three-acre courtyard for her in the west wing, assigned a maid and an old woman to serve her, and left word that when she eventually passed away, Cheng Yi would wear mourning and conduct her funeral.

From then on, Cheng Yi ran away whenever he saw her.

Nanny Wang usually stayed in her own courtyard without coming out. Why would she be delivering a message for grandmother today?

Zhou Shaojin suppressed the confusion in her heart, smiled, and invited Nanny Wang to sit in the main hall. She had Shi Xiang and Chun Wan help her wash and groom, and selected a rose-red vest that elderly people preferred, bean-green plain Xiang-style skirt, mung-bean-sized pearl headband, and rice-grain-sized gold earrings.

As soon as she emerged from the inner chamber, she received Nanny Wang’s praise: “Second Miss is truly beautiful. In the future, who knows which family will be blessed enough to have you marry into their household.”

Zhou Shaojin was quite surprised.

Though Nanny Wang was advanced in years, she had been cautious all her life and had never misspoken. For her to suddenly say such things at this moment… could someone have brought up the matter of her marriage?

She thought of Cheng Lu’s mother Dong Shi, who had held her hand and said something about her being “fit to manage a household.” Nanny Wang seemed to have said something similar then.

Could it be that Dong Shi had come to visit grandmother?

Zhou Shaojin’s heart instantly felt as if a great stone had been placed on it, heavy and suffocating. But she still had to lower her eyelids, assume a bashful expression, and say in a low voice, “Nanny is teasing me.”

Nanny Wang chuckled a few times but said nothing more.

The group silently left Wanxiang Residence and headed toward Jiashu Hall where Old Madam Guan lived.

Along the way, those who encountered them all stepped aside and paid their respects. Zhou Shaojin’s hand gripping her handkerchief never loosened.