The Zhou sisters naturally suspected nothing and accompanied the old lady in conversation. The topic naturally turned to the matter of copying sutras.

Old Madam Guan had Si’er fetch a copy of the Lotus Sutra for Zhou Shaojin and asked, “Can you read all the characters?”

Not only could she read them all—she could practically recite them backward and forward.

Zhou Shaojin nodded.

Old Madam Guan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, “Then help me copy the second volume! I offered the first volume on the ninth day.”

The ninth day referred to the ninth day of the first month—that day was the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The women of the Cheng family typically went to Ganquan Temple to offer incense. Ganquan Temple was Guanyin Bodhisattva’s sacred site.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and responded “Yes,” then asked Old Madam Guan if there were any previously spoiled sutra copies: “I’d like to see how they were copied so I can copy in the same style.”

Her conduct showed unusual maturity.

Old Madam Guan felt even more reassured about Zhou Shaojin and had Si’er go find the spoiled sutra manuscripts. When the manuscripts were brought, they discussed copying sutras for a while longer when a young maid came to report: “Madam Wu has arrived with three young ladies.”

Three young ladies?

Could they be Wu Baozhang’s half-sisters Wu Baohua and Wu Baozhi?

Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat dazed.

In her memory, after she and Wu Baozhang had become somewhat familiar, Wu Baozhang had gradually told her about the Wu family affairs.

Supposedly, Wu Baozhang, like her, had lost her mother at six months old. The difference was that her father had only remarried when she was seven, while Wu Baozhang’s father Wu Xiu had remarried his colleague’s younger sister Guan Shi less than a hundred days after Wu Baozhang’s birth mother passed away. And though Guan Shi appeared virtuous and gentle, she was actually sweet-faced but bitter-hearted—sharp-tongued and mean-spirited, narrow-minded and petty. Because she resented that Wu Baozhang’s birth mother Yin Shi had occupied the position of first wife, she was even more unwilling to raise Wu Baozhang and her elder brother Wu Taicheng. She made things difficult for the siblings at every turn. Wu Xiu had no choice but to keep the siblings living with their grandmother in their ancestral home in Mianyang, Sichuan. It wasn’t until Wu Baozhang’s grandmother died and the siblings had no one to rely on that circumstances changed. Since Guan Shi only had two daughters, when she returned to her hometown to observe mourning, she both feared being criticized by the neighbors and gaining a reputation for being “unvirtuous,” and worried that Wu Taicheng would inherit the family property and not treat her and her two daughters well. Left with no alternative, she had no choice but to bring the Wu Baozhang siblings to Jinling.

But even so, Wu Baozhang’s stepmother treated Wu Taicheng with excessive indulgence, to the point that Wu Taicheng developed many bad habits.

Wu Baozhang had wept as she spoke: “After all, I’m just a daughter raised in the inner chambers. On ordinary days it’s not easy even to see my brother, let alone advise him to study properly and have prospects in his official career—for his own sake and to secure a future for me as well…”

It was precisely because of these reasons that she had felt pity for Wu Baozhang. Later, though she had sensed that Wu Baozhang was not simple and that her words couldn’t necessarily be fully trusted, she always made excuses for Wu Baozhang. She felt that Wu Taicheng was a social climber who wouldn’t amount to much, while Wu Baozhang had no one to rely on and could only fight for her own future—using underhanded methods was only human nature. Though she and Wu Baozhang were close, they weren’t as intimate as blood sisters, so there was no need to be so particular with Wu Baozhang… Even when Wu Baozhang became engaged to Cheng Lu, thinking of Wu Baozhang as a young woman bound by parental orders and matchmaker’s arrangements—could Wu Baozhang have said “no”? She didn’t feel Wu Baozhang had done wrong. She only resented Cheng Lu—a seven-foot-tall man who lacked responsibility, not only breaking faith but also being indecisive and unclear about her situation, leaving Wu Baozhang anxious and uneasy while she herself suffered criticism…

Zhou Shaojin stumbled along behind her sister with uneven steps.

Old Madam Guan walking ahead didn’t notice, but Zhou Chujin quickly discovered her younger sister’s abnormality.

She took Zhou Shaojin’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

Zhou Shaojin came back to herself.

Zhou Chujin signaled with her eyes, indicating that if something was wrong, she should endure it for now, deal with the matter at hand, and they could discuss it after returning to Wanxiang Residence.

Zhou Shaojin smiled sheepishly at her sister.

They had arrived at Shijin Pavilion—the reception hall where the fourth branch’s women received guests.

Zhou Shaojin quickly composed her emotions and followed Old Madam Guan inside with lowered head and downcast eyes.

It was currently late March, late spring. The sun had already risen. Spring flowers bloomed profusely at Shijin Pavilion in brilliant purples and reds. All the red-lacquered ice-crack-patterned windows around the flower hall were thrown open. The fragrance of flowers filled the air, warm breezes blew gently—one could become intoxicated without drinking.

Zhou Shaojin immediately spotted the young lady standing behind Madam Wu.

Just like the person in her memory, her thick black hair was arranged in a double-spiral bun, adorned with lilac flower gold hairpins. She wore a madder-red Hangzhou silk jacket with broken-branch flower pattern. Pearl earrings the size of lotus seeds dangled beside her ears. A cinnabar beauty mark the size of a rice grain between her eyebrows was vividly striking, making her unforgettable at first glance.

It really was her!

Wu Baozhang.

After a separation of ten years, they were meeting again when she was twelve years old!

Zhou Shaojin felt a piercing pain in her heart.

Those lost years seemed to rush at her face-on. Those past sufferings all came vividly alive again.

She clutched her chest, her mind going blank. Watching Grandmother and Madam Wu’s mouths opening and closing, she moved like a puppet on strings, curtsying alongside her sister and sitting quietly to one side. It wasn’t until Zhou Chujin tugged at her sleeve that Grandmother and Madam Wu’s voices buzzed into her ears: “…You know, we in Jiangbei aren’t like Jiangnan—we don’t have so many formalities. This is also the first birthday banquet our master has encountered, and he doesn’t know what to give—if it’s too valuable, he fears people will say we’re being obsequious; if it’s too modest, he fears people will say we’re narrow-minded and haven’t seen the world. It’s really wrong either way. It worried our master so much he didn’t sleep all night. He got up and urged me to come ask your advice, so we won’t make fools of ourselves at the banquet.”

So Madam Wu had come about the second branch’s ancestor’s birthday celebration.

In her previous life, Madam Wu had addressed Grandmother as “Aunt” repeatedly with great familiarity. Today she addressed Grandmother as “Your Ladyship” with every breath. So at this time Guan Shi hadn’t yet ingratiated herself with Grandmother…

Zhou Shaojin thought woodenly, then her foot was kicked hard.

She turned her head in alarm and saw her sister’s worried gaze.

Zhou Shaojin was startled and only then realized her loss of composure.

She couldn’t help but grow anxious inwardly.

At this moment she absolutely had to keep her composure. Otherwise, wouldn’t Sister go frantic with worry? And there was Grandmother—she had kindly brought her out to meet guests and broaden her experience, yet she was being discourteous to others. Where would that leave Grandmother’s face?

Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath and hurriedly organized her emotions. She heard Grandmother speaking in an unhurried manner, with a slight note of amusement, to Madam Wu: “I don’t know about outside matters. But according to the Cheng family’s old customs, each branch sends a birthday gift in the name of that branch head. For off-year birthdays it’s more casual, but for milestone birthdays it should be more substantial. Then each individual person gives their own gift, which is simpler—just needlework supplies and such. Children’s personally painted pictures and handwritten couplets also count as birthday gifts…”

Madam Wu listened with great admiration and praised: “The Cheng family is truly worthy of being a century-old prestigious clan with scholarly traditions! The family is so distinguished, yet you live so modestly. No wonder when people in Jinling mention the Cheng family of Jiuru Lane, they all give a thumbs up and praise you as ‘excellent.’ No wonder others think our Wu family’s perspective is too narrow. Without comparison one doesn’t know, but comparing is shocking…”

She was of medium height with a rounded figure. Her appearance seemed quite ordinary, but she had a pair of eyes that seemed to look into your very heart when she regarded you—extremely sharp. Yet at this moment her voice was neither high nor low, gentle and courteous, carrying a hint of amusement, like a spring breeze on one’s face—very comfortable to listen to.

Listening carefully, Wu Baozhang’s tone and inflection when speaking were very similar to Madam Wu’s.

Thinking of this person, Zhou Shaojin’s heart roiled like boiling water and took quite a while to calm down.

By now Madam Wu and Old Madam Guan’s conversation had reached a pause. Madam Wu was suggesting they go see the three-colored peony that Old Madam Guan was growing in her quarters: “I heard it was a gift from the First Master. The master is truly filial! Such a rare thing—I don’t know where he obtained it. But this is also your good fortune. As for me, in all my years, I’ve never seen a single tree produce flowers of three different colors.”

Hearing someone praise her eldest son, Old Madam Guan could no longer maintain the polite yet somewhat distant attitude she showed toward other visitors who came with ulterior motives.

She chuckled and, supported lightly by Zhou Chujin, led Madam Wu toward the waterside pavilion where the three-colored peony was displayed.

Seeing this, Wu Baozhang stepped forward to support Madam Wu.

But Madam Wu quickly moved forward and stood together with Old Madam Guan, leaving Wu Baozhang behind. And Madam Wu’s biological daughter Wu Baohua didn’t even glance at Wu Baozhang. She unhurriedly stepped forward to support her mother’s arm, flanking Madam Wu and Old Madam Guan on the left and right together with Zhou Chujin.

Madam Wu seemed not to notice anything had happened and smiled as she chatted with Old Madam Guan about the newly arrived opera troupe in Jinling—the Huilan Company.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Wu Baozhang’s face. She quickly glanced at Zhou Shaojin.

She saw that Zhou Shaojin’s face was pale, wearing an absent-minded expression, as if she hadn’t noticed what had happened here at all.

Wu Baozhang couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief, her heart settling somewhat. But raising her eyes, she saw Wu Baozhi staring at Zhou Shaojin with a face full of curiosity.

Wu Baozhang’s heart stirred.

Before coming she had made inquiries. Though the Cheng family’s fourth branch had two young masters and two young misses, those two young misses were surnamed Zhou—they were only the Cheng family’s cousin misses. Particularly that Second Miss Zhou was born to the fourth branch’s son-in-law’s second wife and had no blood relationship with the Cheng family.

She just hadn’t expected Second Miss Zhou to be so beautiful. Her features were like a painting, and her every gesture exuded a delicate, gentle quality. She was like a white mountain cherry blossom, gracefully blooming on a branch—if one weren’t careful, she might drift away on the wind. Just looking at her made one unconsciously soften one’s breathing.

Never mind Wu Baozhi raised in the inner chambers—even she herself was seeing such a girl for the first time. That appearance, that figure—no matter how you looked, there wasn’t a single part that wasn’t exquisite, not a single part that wasn’t beautiful. No wonder Wu Baozhi was interested in Second Miss Zhou!

Thinking this, the corners of Wu Baozhang’s mouth turned up slightly.

She paused her steps and came shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Shaojin.

“Second Miss,” Wu Baozhang revealed a gentle, refined smile and said softly, “Are you feeling unwell somewhere? I see your face is terribly pale. Should I inform the old madam and find an excuse for you to rest a while?”

Zhou Shaojin felt nauseated just looking at her and had no desire to speak with her at all.

Though this behavior was somewhat discourteous, when she thought of how she had followed all the rules her entire previous life yet still ended up with such a fate, this willfulness gave her a sense of wanton pleasure that made her feel happy.