Inside the room, Eldest Lady Mian smiled and said, “No wonder your Aunt Lu manages the third branch—with that kind of cleverness, no one in the entire household can match her.” As she spoke, she opened the boxes.
There were eight hairpins in total, all gold-inlaid jade. Two pairs of mutton-fat jade with auspicious cloud heads; two pairs of Hetian jade with peace gourd designs; two pairs of jadeite with vase heads; two pairs of agate with magnolia flower heads. The mutton-fat jade was flawless throughout, the Hetian jade moist and delicate; the jadeite emerald green and lustrous; the agate bright and beautiful—every piece was of the finest quality.
Eldest Lady Mian drew in a sharp breath. “What generous spending!”
Zhou Shaojin suddenly thought of Li Jing.
She couldn’t help but smile. “I’m afraid Aunt Lu is doing a favor that costs her nothing, offering Buddha flowers she borrowed!”
Eldest Lady Mian didn’t understand at first.
Zhou Shaojin pointed toward the east where the third branch was located. “Didn’t the seamstress say so? Old Madam’s great-nephew came to visit her with several carts full of gifts…”
Eldest Lady Mian laughed. “You clever little thing—you take everything people say to heart.”
Zhou Shaojin giggled.
Eldest Lady Mian closed the boxes. “Put them away! Regardless, they’re all good things. You can use them for your dowries in the future.”
The two girls blushed as they put away the boxes.
That evening, Cui Huan came to deliver a message to Zhou Shaojin: “Our Eldest Lady has agreed to let Miss go to Duke Liangguo’s household for the Ghost Festival. The clothes and jewelry are all prepared. Our Miss says she’ll come by to collect you and Eldest Miss when the time comes.”
Zhou Shaojin nodded. On the morning of the Ghost Festival, after performing ancestral rites, they waited in their room for Cheng Jia.
But after waiting a long time with no sign of her, Zhou Chujin said, “Could they have changed their minds and not allowed her to go?”
Zhou Shaojin sent Wan Xiang to check.
Wan Xiang returned and reported, “Miss Jia went to take leave of Old Madam, and it just so happened that Old Madam’s maternal great-nephew also came to take his leave. Cui Huan said Miss Jia thought it had nothing to do with her, so she didn’t send someone to give you word. Who knew Old Madam hadn’t seen her natal family in nearly twenty years! She held the young cousin’s hand and talked endlessly. Miss Jia couldn’t very well just leave like that. She asks you and Eldest Miss to wait a bit longer—she’ll come right away.”
“Young cousin?” Zhou Shaojin asked. “Li Jing?”
“I don’t know his name.” Wan Xiang said. “He’s definitely surnamed Li. The people with him all called him ‘Master.'”
Zhou Shaojin collapsed on the bed with delight, wrinkling her clothes and disheveling her jewelry.
She had schemed so carefully to make Cheng Jia and Li Jing meet, even having people find out where Li Jing was staying. Yet Cheng Jia and Li Jing had met so unexpectedly just like this.
Although it was at a farewell visit.
If they had fate, they would naturally meet again.
She had at least mended this gap.
Zhou Shaojin silently recited prayers to Buddha.
Zhou Chujin came over and grabbed her. “Get up quickly! We’re about to leave—just look at yourself!”
With the weight lifted from her heart, Zhou Shaojin felt relieved and became rather languid.
She stood up with her sister’s help, took off her clothes for Wan Chun to iron again, while her mind conjured the image of Cheng Chi wearing his pale moon-white fine kudzu cloth dao robe.
Uncle Chi certainly didn’t need to worry every moment about whether his clothes were wrinkled, nor did he need to iron his clothes as frequently as she did.
※※※
That day they released flower lanterns by Mochou Lake.
The moon reflected on the lake surface. The flower lanterns on the water were like stars, transforming Mochou Lake into the Milky Way.
After just a few words, Cheng Jia and Ah Zhu became inseparable friends—holding hands to release river lanterns together, whispering head-to-head, giggling and teasing Zhou Shaojin, tossing coins one by one to beggars along the roadside, making funny faces and smiling sweetly to amuse children in young women’s arms… Zhou Shaojin, her sister Zhou Chujin, and Miss Seventeen from the Gu family instead became the backdrop. Fortunately, all three had quiet temperaments and found it quite pleasant watching them make merry and hearing their cheerful laughter.
The people from Duke Liangguo’s household didn’t think so.
Nanny Gong kept wiping sweat from her forehead as she said to Zhou Chujin, “Miss Cheng is really quite wild…”
When in front of outsiders, Zhou Chujin always defended her own family. She pretended not to understand the meaning behind her words and smiled gently and softly. “This cousin of mine is lively and cheerful. Not only do we sisters all like her very much, but the elders in the family also treasure her like a jewel. She happens to be rather careless—whenever brothers and sisters in the family like something she has, she waves them on to take it. She’s earned the nickname ‘Female Lord Mengchang’… Her temperament is naturally somewhat spirited.”
Nanny Gong could only close her mouth.
Suddenly there was a loud bang that lit up the eastern night sky.
“Look, look!” Cheng Jia and Ah Zhu called out in unison, “Someone’s setting off fireworks over there!”
Zhou Shaojin, Zhou Chujin, and Miss Seventeen Gu looked in that direction and saw blooming fireworks of purple, red, green, and blue in the sky, colorful and spectacularly beautiful.
“So beautiful!”
Several of them stopped to watch.
Other people gradually discovered the fireworks in the east as well. Everyone told each other, and after a commotion among the crowd at Mochou Lake—whether noble ladies from great households surrounded by guards and elderly servants who had come out to release river lanterns like them, or common folk led by parents and protected by brothers—everyone stopped to watch, periodically exclaiming in admiration.
Zhou Shaojin closed her eyes, only praying to the Bodhisattva that they could forever live in such good times.
Someone nearby chuckled. “Cousin, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here!”
Zhou Shaojin opened her eyes and turned around to see Cheng Xu’s smiling face. Looking more carefully, she saw Cheng Lu, Cheng Nuo, Cheng Ju, and several young men she didn’t recognize standing not far behind him.
Cheng Xu had actually gotten together with Cheng Lu!
Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.
In her previous life, Cheng Lu had mentioned Cheng Xu, saying he was heaven’s favored son—not only of noble birth and handsome appearance, but also exceptionally intelligent. Content that others needed to read several times to memorize, he could remember after reading just once, possessing photographic memory. He was proficient in the six arts of a gentleman, and with a father holding one of the Nine Ministers positions paving his way, his future would naturally be bright.
Cheng Lu had also joked that someone like Cheng Xu was too perfect—like “gold too pure breaks easily, jade too hard shatters easily”—which might not necessarily be a good thing…
She had vaguely sensed Cheng Lu’s tone carried a flavor of “if Zhou Yu exists, why must Zhuge Liang also exist.” She had even worried whether Cheng Lu had suffered some grievance at the academy and specifically had people investigate. The report came back that Cheng Lu and Cheng Xu belonged to completely different circles. Because Cheng Xu had earned his scholar degree early and was even the top candidate, although young, he associated with those of equivalent status and position, rarely interacting with people from the clan school. Cheng Lu was the exact opposite—modest, cautious, generous, and magnanimous, he was close to both teachers and students at the clan school, had excellent relationships, and enjoyed considerable prestige.
At the time, she had felt indignant on Cheng Lu’s behalf, thinking he was down-to-earth, neither arrogant nor impatient, much better than Cheng Xu. Cheng Xu just had a better father than Cheng Lu… But now, thinking back carefully, Cheng Lu’s feelings toward Cheng Xu were probably more jealousy and envy…
But how was it that after her rebirth, things had changed again—in the previous life, Cheng Lu and Cheng Xu were like the roc and the phoenix, always keeping their distance. Yet in this life, they had gotten together… What had happened? Why did things always change? It was overwhelming!
She could find ways to pull Cheng Jia back to her original path, but she had no ability to manage Cheng Xu’s affairs. And even if she had that ability, she didn’t want to interfere…
Zhou Shaojin called her sister forward like an ostrich burying its head in sand and hid to the side herself.
A flash of disappointment crossed Cheng Xu’s eyes.
He didn’t understand why Zhou Shaojin always avoided him.
Never mind that he had feelings for Zhou Shaojin—even without such feelings, they were relatives by marriage. She didn’t need to guard against him as if he were a thief! Moreover, he came from a respectable family, was handsome, and was willing to humble himself before her. How could she be so hard-hearted? Could it be as Cheng Lu said—she was still too young to understand such things?
Cheng Xu frowned.
Cheng Lu walked forward with a smile, respectfully greeting Zhou Chujin, calling her “Elder Cousin Sister,” and said, “Today is the Ghost Festival, so the clan school has a holiday. Several of us who are close classmates arranged to go out together to visit the temple fair and release river lanterns. We didn’t expect to run into you.”
His smile was warm, his demeanor elegant, like a true gentleman, carrying a strong scholarly air.
Zhou Chujin smiled and exchanged pleasantries with him, then Cheng Lu pulled Cheng Xu away.
Ah Zhu tugged at Zhou Shaojin’s sleeve and asked, “Who was that person?”
No matter which person she was asking about, Zhou Shaojin felt frightened.
Cheng Lu had the heart of a wolf though not yet clearly revealed why. And Cheng Xu was even more frivolous and capricious, easily developing feelings for others—not a good match either.
She was trying to figure out how to answer Ah Zhu when Cheng Jia had already curled her lip dismissively. “They’re two of my male cousins. The tall one is my eldest uncle’s only son. You may have heard of him—Cheng Xu, courtesy name Jiashan, top candidate of the Guisi examination in the sixteenth year of Zhide. The thin one, the one who spoke with Elder Cousin Sister later, is called Cheng Lu, courtesy name Xiangqing. He became a stipend student this year, from a collateral branch of the fifth house.”
“Oh!” Ah Zhu’s eyes sparkled.
Zhou Shaojin felt as if her heart had skipped several beats.
But Ah Zhu, as if feeling she wasn’t alarmed enough, asked Cheng Jia, “Are they both betrothed yet?”
“No.” Cheng Jia said disdainfully. “One judges everyone by their background first, the other doesn’t ask about anyone’s background—neither is a true gentleman.”
Now not only was Ah Zhu curious, but Zhou Shaojin and the others were curious too.
Cheng Jia laughed coquettishly. “This is what my mother said—Cousin Xu’s maternal family is the Yuan clan of Tongxiang, so he likes to associate with children from other families of literary and ritual tradition. Cousin Lu is from a collateral branch of the fifth house, so he treats everyone very generously. So my mother says Cousin Xu’s way inevitably gives people a sense of arrogance, making those from humble backgrounds jealous. Cousin Lu’s way isn’t good either—making people think anyone can befriend him further lowers his own status.”
Jiang Shi truly had sharp eyes.
That the third branch became the ultimate winner wasn’t without reason.
Zhou Shaojin was reflecting on this when Ah Zhu inexplicably grabbed Cheng Jia and ran, saying as she ran to Zhou Shaojin, Zhou Chujin, and Miss Seventeen Gu, “Quick, let’s go! I saw my brother!”