The Ji family’s carriage hung openwork silver incense balls in front, causing pedestrians to avoid it from a distance. After passing the Grand Canal and making another turn, the carriage followed the bluestone path upward to Gulan Square, where shops clustered together.

Seeing the Ji family’s carriage arrive, the head manager of the Ji family’s restaurant came out to welcome them, inviting the three into a second-floor private room. Immediately, waiters brought up a pot of pine nuts and almond tea, along with desserts such as honey cakes, dried peanuts, crispy fish, and steamed buns with crab roe. Although Jinchao was accompanying Ji Can, in reality, she could at most sit here and look at the scenery outside the window. Even if she wanted to go out and look around, she would be surrounded by a large group of servants and guards, which was very inconvenient.

The three hadn’t had breakfast before leaving, so they could enjoy these snacks.

The manager needed to discuss business with Ji Yao, so the two stood behind a pot of dwarf pine, with Ji Yao standing straight with his hands behind his back, listening attentively. He instructed the manager: “…It’s almost the twelfth lunar month, so it’s appropriate to prepare more materials. In addition, for the banquets at the mansion, items like fish lips and abalone cannot be lacking. Draft a list and let me see it tomorrow…”

The manager respectfully agreed, but soon a young waiter came up: “Second Young Master, Third Young Master is looking at things at Jushan Residence outside. Hearing that you are here, he asked me to come and tell you that they will be here shortly!”

Jinchao remembered the last time she saw Ji Yun, they were about to visit a professor from the Imperial Academy.

Ji Can told her: “…Indeed, they’re returning from visiting Professor Zhang. I don’t know why it took so long, more than two months. I think Ji Yun just went there to freeload! When he comes up, you can tease him about it.”

Ji Yao hesitated, as there were two young gentlemen from prominent families with Ji Yun, and it seemed that Gu Jinchao should avoid them.

Before he could say anything, Ji Yun’s group came upstairs.

The three brought only a few book boys, looking travel-worn.

“I hurried back after receiving Grandmother’s letter,” Ji Yun said with a smile. “How could I miss your wedding? I just saw some new inkstones at Jushan Residence and picked one as your gift…”

Ji Can glared with anger: “Have you no shame?!” Jushan Residence was his bookstore, and the Ji family’s young masters never paid when buying things there—everything was put on account. No one had ever paid him back a single tael of silver.

An Song Huai, who came up afterward, laughed: “…You’re about to get married and still so impolite to your elder brother?”

Ji Can blushed. “Well, he should still pay back what he owes me…”

An Song Huai’s gaze fell on Gu Jinchao, watching her sit quietly by the window drinking tea, her eyes looking out at the bustling Gulan Square below. The steam from the teacup rose in a mist, and she lowered her long, fine eyelashes, her face as delicate as lustrous jade.

Ji Yun said to him: “…This is my second brother.” An Song Huai had told him that he wanted to meet Ji Yao.

An Song Huai finally came to his senses, silently cursing himself. The young lady’s silence meant she wished to avoid impropriety. How could he stare at her?

He then greeted Ji Yao, “…I didn’t get to meet you last time, which was a pity.” Ji Yao was famous among the sons of prominent families. When he was twelve, he checked accounts with the head manager of the Huizhou merchant group, calculating everything clearly and fluently in his head, faster than the accountant with an abacus beside him. At that time, the Huizhou manager was forced into a cold sweat by him.

Although An Song Huai was a Juren scholar, he sneered at the traditional hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. In his view, someone like Ji Yao was truly intelligent. That Chen Xuanqing, the top Confucian scholar of North Zhili, was nothing but a bookish wooden block!

Ji Yun was just about to mention Chen Xuanqing.

“…Wasn’t he following behind us? How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?”

An Song Huai collected himself, controlling himself not to look toward the window again. Smiling, he said, “We told him he was dressed too shabbily, but he wouldn’t listen. Just now when our Master Chen Seven entered, he was stopped by the waiters downstairs, who thought he was some poor scholar from a remote corner.”

Ji Yun laughed helplessly: “…You saw and didn’t help him!” He was about to go down to bring him up when they heard Chen Xuanqing’s voice, “These clothes were given to me by Professor Zhang, how are they shabby?”

His voice was characteristically calm and gentle.

Gu Jinchao sighed. Those she didn’t want to meet kept arriving one after another, and she couldn’t avoid them.

Chen Xuanqing’s cloth shoes stepped on the stairs, light and quick. When he came up, everyone saw him. He wore a blue cotton robe and had his hair in a topknot secured with a wooden hairpin, looking very simple. He didn’t even have a bookboy following him. Tall and thin, he indeed looked like a poor scholar.

Learning that this was the renowned Seventh Young Master of the Chen family, the eldest son of Chen Third Master, Ji Yao examined him carefully. Although Chen Xuanqing was dressed plainly, his temperament was as gentle as distant mountains, and he was very handsome. His bearing was extraordinary, like a young master from a scholarly family untouched by the secular world.

Chen Xuanqing smiled and greeted Ji Yao, but when his gaze turned and saw Gu Jinchao drinking tea nearby, his smile froze.

He pressed his lips together, feeling that he shouldn’t have come up at all.

Ji Yao invited everyone to be seated, and An Song Huai began talking about the events of the past few months. Professor Zhang’s home wasn’t easy to find; he didn’t live in some lane or alley but on a mountain in Daxing County, Tongzhou. The mountain path was steep and difficult, with no houses around, though there was a small, barely visited temple at the mountain top, and Professor Zhang’s residence was next to this small temple.

They presented Chen Third Master’s calling card, and the professor welcomed them warmly. When he heard that Chen Xuanqing was the top Confucian scholar of North Zhili, he wanted to make his lecture on contemporary prose. Guangyi was the most profound course in the Imperial Academy curriculum. The professor gave them lectures while hosting banquets, or took them to travel deep into the mountains, where they ate and slept outdoors. He and Ji Yun at least brought book boys, but Chen Xuanqing came alone, even having to borrow clothes from Professor Zhang when he tore them.

That’s how he ended up looking like a poor scholar now.

After they talked, Chen Xuanqing spoke up: “Why don’t we go downstairs to look at the things in Gulan Market? I saw lanterns and firecrackers for the New Year displayed on the street, looking very lively…”

Ji Can said: “What’s there to see? If you come to Gulan Market during the Lantern Festival, that lantern fair is lively.”

Seeing that Gu Jinchao remained silent, Ji Can smile at her: “Cousin, don’t you agree?”

Chen Xuanqing wanted to avoid Gu Jinchao, but with Ji Can’s remark, he couldn’t speak up now.

Jinchao had been keeping to herself, but hearing Ji Can’s question, she thought for a moment and said: “I used to come here often as a child, but now I don’t remember much. However, there were many styles of lanterns, with toad lanterns, lotus lanterns, embroidered ball lanterns, and snowflake lanterns displayed on the streets. The larger ones included the nun lantern waving a feather fan to subdue evil spirits, the Liu Hai lantern carrying a golden toad playing with treasures, and the blue lion lantern bearing priceless rare treasures—all were very exquisite…”

Jinchao spoke slowly, her fingers caressing the rim of her teacup. An Song Huai listened very attentively and wanted to talk with Gu Jinchao: “Although they’re all beautiful… I like the blue lion lantern the most. I got one when I was little and hung it in the courtyard, keeping it lit for a month.”

Ji Yao glanced at An Song Huai. An Song Huai spoke to Gu Jinchao with a very serious expression, but his tone was somewhat cautious.

He found it strange—this An Song Huai… seemed to care a great deal about Gu Jinchao.

Since they encountered Ji Yun’s group, they didn’t linger much longer. After buying what they needed, they returned to the Ji family residence.

Ji Yun and the others went to pay their respects to Ji Wu first, coincidentally meeting Ji Mei, who had just returned from Jizhoui. Ji Mei was the eldest daughter of Ji’s family’s eldest master, now married with children.

Ji Wu smiled at Ji Yun’s group: “…Look at you all, looking like beggars. Go get yourselves cleaned up before coming back.”

She had Song Mama arrange west wing rooms in the side courtyard for Chen Xuanqing and An Song Huai to stay until after the wedding banquet.

Gu Jinchao examined Ji Mei, who wore a blue gold-decorated padded jacket, her hair in a smooth round bun adorned with a bit of gilt hairpin and pearl band, and a pair of blue jade earrings. She resembled her mother somewhat. Yi’er was playing with her fingers nearby, looking even smaller than Chun’er, and quite chubby.

Ji Wu told Ji Mei about her aunt’s passing, which made Ji Mei very melancholy. She held Jinchao’s hand and said: “…Such a gentle person as your mother, gone so early… Cousin, it must be difficult for you. If you have any troubles in the future, feel free to tell me.”

Ji Mei was raised by Elder Aunt Song and was always very proper.

Jinchao’s impression of Ji Mei wasn’t very clear; she only vaguely remembered that this cousin often liked to give her things to eat, always smiling, and was a very nice person. At that time, she was ungrateful and felt that her elder cousin had stolen her grandmother’s affection. She had cut up the rabbit sleeping doll Ji Mei gave her and thrown it into the fire pot. Ji Mei came in and saw the remnants of the burnt rabbit fur but never said a word to her about it.

She said: “Elder Cousin needn’t worry, Jinchao doesn’t have any difficulties… I see Yi’er has grown well, may I ask how old he is?”

Ji Wu had a servant bring Yi’er over. Yi’er looked at Ji Wu in confusion, then turned back to timidly call Ji Mei “Mother.” Ji Mei smiled at him for reassurance.

Ji Wu told Jinchao: “Yi’er is only two months younger than Chun’er… I only held him when he was born, but now I can’t lift him anymore!” Then she placed Yi’er between herself and Jinchao, telling him, “Let your aunt hold you.” Yi’er bit his finger and looked back at Ji Mei, calling “Mother” again, still looking timid and endearing, but hesitating to move.

Ji Mei said: “If Yi’er doesn’t behave, there will be no amber candy tonight.”

Hearing this, Yi’er reluctantly reached out his arms: “…Aunt hold.” Everyone was amused by him.

Jinchao smiled and took him in her arms.

Somehow, she vaguely recalled… that Yi’er ultimately didn’t live past the age of five.