Mother’s illness fluctuated, and Jin Chao became more vigilant about her mother’s diet.

She inspected all the food prepared in the small kitchen, only sending gentle and nourishing dishes to her mother. Song Concubine was no longer busy serving their father and had returned to attend to their mother at her sickbed. Jin Chao didn’t say anything about this. Privately though, she found maids and servants from Xie Xiao Garden to report to her whatever Song Concubine said to Mother.

As for the food and drinks she brought, Madam Xu helped inspect them, so there shouldn’t be any problems.

Jin Chao herself had consulted with Doctor Liu about several good medicinal dishes to make for her mother. With her good culinary skills, she could transform bitter medicine into palatable medicinal food. Mother ate more, and after a few days, her cough lightened somewhat.

Only then did Jin Chao breathe a sigh of relief.

Madam Xu complained that she came every day and specifically told her to go back and rest: “…Young Miss, please don’t worry, this servant knows what to do!”

Lady Ji, seeing Jin Chao’s once plump chin grow thinner and her eyes appear darker, felt heartbroken.

The mistress and servant sent her back to Qing Tong Courtyard.

Jin Chao could only return reluctantly. She had Qing Pu move a chaise lounge under the veranda, where she sat in the courtyard to enjoy the breeze.

The milk kitten could barely walk now. Its basket was placed under the veranda. After turning a few circles in its nest, the kitten walked out on short legs, tottered to the railing, and its round body flopped down, nestling against the sun-warmed black lacquered wooden post.

Yu Tong and Yu Zhu were especially fond of this cat. They usually took care of it, and Jin Chao hadn’t bothered with it.

Jin Chao watched for a while and found it amusing. The small cat lay beside the pillar without moving, occasionally lowering its head to lick its paws. Seeing this, Yu Zhu took out a handful of dried fish from her pouch to tease it. The kitten stretched its head to bite, but if it couldn’t reach, it gave up and lay back down to continue napping.

“Young Miss, see how lazy it is!” Yu Zhu said with a laugh. “You should give it a name. In the future, when it hears its name, it will know it’s being called, and perhaps won’t be so lazy.”

Jin Chao smiled. Naming little cats and dogs was something young girls would do, and she wouldn’t… Then she paused, remembering she was only fifteen years old. She propped herself up and reached out to tease the cat. The cat promptly rolled over, exposing its belly for her to scratch.

Jin Chao then said: “How about calling it Bao Pu?”

Yu Zhu tilted her head: “That sounds strange. When we name cats, it’s usually Big Yellow or Little White…”

Laozi says, “See plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, and have few desires.”

Jin Chao felt she should be more calm and peaceful. Her mother’s illness couldn’t be rushed. Better to be like this cat, calmly basking in the sun, waiting to be fed.

Cai Fu walked over from the winding corridor.

“Young Miss, Fifth Madam Zu, First Young Master, and Second Young Master have arrived at our mansion. They’re currently in the outer courtyard,” she reported quietly.

Jin Chao thought for a moment. It made sense for Fifth Madam to visit Mother, but why had those two cousins come?

Cai Fu continued: “Tomorrow is the Qingming Festival. I heard the two young masters came to invite the master to sweep the tombs and make offerings at West Cui Mountain tomorrow.”

According to the Zu family custom, ancestral tomb-sweeping took place the day after the Qingming Festival. Although the father had minimal contact with the Zu family in recent years, he still had to attend the Qingming tomb-sweeping. Otherwise, it would be abandoning the ancestors, a greatly unfilial act.

“This servant also found out that Fifth Madam’s brother, the heir of Marquis Chang Xing’s household, came along.”

Jin Chao nearly sat up from her chaise lounge when she heard about the Marquis Chang Xing’s heir. “What is he doing here, right during Qingming? Why isn’t he at his own home?”

Cai Fu was surprised by her young mistress’s strong reaction and reported: “This servant doesn’t know either. This is just what I heard from those in attendance.”

That little Yama King had come to her home!

Ye Xian later wielded immense power at court, and with his capricious nature, he killed whomever he wanted without hesitation. If someone from the Gu family treated him poorly and provoked him, wouldn’t he eventually destroy the Gu family?

Gu Jin Chao thought and thought, feeling somewhat vexed. In her previous life, she had never even seen Ye Xian’s face, and she didn’t know how she had become connected to him in this life.

She instructed Qing Pu to help her freshen up. Later, when Fifth Madam would visit Mother, she would need to meet her.

Jin Chao personally selected a water-blue colored dress with intertwining branch patterns and a plain white embroidered skirt. She wore no makeup, with just two simple silver hairpins inlaid with green jasper lotus patterns in her hair. This outfit made her look extremely plain. Given her stunning appearance, more colorful clothes would better complement her beauty. Qing Pu, who had learned these things from Madam Song while serving their grandmother, knew at a glance that her young mistress’s choices didn’t match well. Though she said nothing, she secretly began to pay attention to this heir of Marquis Chang Xing.

After a while, Miss Mo Yu came to report that instead of going to Xie Xiao Garden, they were invited to the flower hall in the Ju Liu Pavilion.

The flower hall was already set with tables. Tea, fruits, and pastries had been served. Fifth Madam Ye and Concubine Luo were talking, with Concubines Guo and Du seated nearby. Father was speaking with eldest cousin Gu Jin Xiao, but there was no sign of Ye Xian and Gu Jin Xian.

“Here comes our Chao girl, quickly come to Fifth Aunt!” Fifth Madam Ye smiled, inviting Jin Chao to sit beside her.

Jin Chao curtseyed to Madam Ye, then paid respects to her father, and addressed Gu Jin Xiao as “Eldest Cousin.”

“Elder Sister has finally arrived. We were just talking about you,” Gu Lan smiled, taking her hand affectionately. “Have you been hiding in your room being lazy?”

Jin Chao’s lips quirked up. How could Gu Lan hold her hand like this without feeling uncomfortable? She reciprocated by covering Gu Lan’s hand, smiling as she replied: “I’m not being lazy. The second Sister knows mother has been unwell recently. I’ve been busy attending to her.”

Having arrived late and hearing Gu Lan’s comment, Madam Ye might think she had been disrespectful.

…However, Gu Lan had indeed moved quickly. Gu Xi and Gu Yi hadn’t even arrived yet.

Madam Ye didn’t mind at all. Instead, she asked with concern about Lady Ji’s illness: “…Your grandmother was thinking of her during the New Year and asked me to come see her when I had time. When I heard a few days ago that your mother was seriously ill, she urgently had me bring some things and hurry over. Has she improved at all?”

Jin Chao nodded: “She’s much better recently, conscious every day, with a good appetite.”

Luo Su smiled gently from the side: “It’s all thanks to the Young Miss’s tireless care that Madam has recovered so quickly.”

Gu Lan’s expression briefly soured, but she quickly added: “Every time I visit Mother, I see Elder Sister and Concubine Song attending to her. It’s truly not easy. If I weren’t so unskilled at caring for others, I would want to serve Mother’s day and Night as well…”

Fifth Madam had to acknowledge her: “Your intentions are enough… these things don’t matter much.”

Gu Lan stood up to offer fresh cherries to Madam Ye: “…Fifth Aunt, please try these. Cherries from Linggu Temple in Nanjing are the juiciest and sweetest.”

Madam Ye thanked her and accepted them. Gu Lan took the opportunity to sit beside her and casually asked: “I heard Cousin Jin Xian came with you, but where has he gone?”

Madam Ye smiled: “How could he sit still? He’s gone with his uncle to offer incense at Guangci Temple in Shi’an County.”

Jin Chao felt puzzled. Could Ye Xian be a believer in Buddha? None of his actions seemed like those of a devout Buddhist.

While she was thinking this, Gu Lan had already asked: “Does my cousin’s uncle also appreciate Buddhist teachings? I often read sutras at home. Perhaps I could seek his guidance.”

Madam Ye shook her head with a smile: “…He despises such things, calling them ghosts and monsters not worth believing in. He even refuses to go to the family tomb-sweeping on Qingming, despite how much I try to persuade him. When he returns this time, his father will surely discipline him. It was Gu Jin Xian who heard that Guangci Temple keeps a group of monkeys and, being very curious, insisted on taking his uncle to see them.”

Jin Chao frowned slightly upon hearing this. Not returning home for Qingming ancestor worship, and the Marquis would merely discipline him? Wasn’t he afraid of being impeached by the imperial censors… Or perhaps the Emperor was especially accommodating to the Chang Xing Marquis’s family, and this heir was particularly indulged by everyone in the Marquis’s household. This must have fostered his arrogant personality that disregarded others and violated proper etiquette.

Gu Lan stuck out her tongue: “I just feel that Buddhist teachings calm the mind, so I read more of them… Does Cousin’s Uncle also like monkeys?”

“He doesn’t like those. As for animals… he prefers to keep hairless creatures. At home, he has two large turtles and a school of koi in celadon fish tanks. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have insisted on keeping several bamboo vipers he bought from the market…”

Gu Lan asked in confusion: “Isn’t bamboo viper a type of tea…?”

Madam Ye found her confused expression endearing and laughed heartily: “It’s not tea, but several poisonous snakes with emerald green coloring!”

Everyone laughed. Jin Chao deliberately glanced at Gu Lan. Today she wore a goose-yellow short coat with persimmon pattern cut silk and a green layered moonlight skirt that rippled like waves in the breeze. Her hair was adorned with gold-plated silver step-shake hairpins, and jade rabbit pendants hung from her earlobes. This ensemble made her face appear as beautiful as jade, both elegant and gentle.

She had dressed with great care.

A faint smile lifted Jin Chao’s lips. If things were as she thought, it would be interesting.

Madam Ye spoke of the turtles Ye Xian kept: “…He bought one from a peddler. One of the turtles even had characters carved on its shell. Ye Xian favored that one the most and searched through all his grandfather’s books to find the meaning of those characters. When he takes walks, the turtle likes to follow him, slowly moving along the river. We all found it quite remarkable…”

Everyone laughed again. Jin Chao thought to herself, that the later devious and suspicious courtier had a time in his youth when he kept turtles. He didn’t seem so frightening… After all, Ye Xian was only sixteen now, and his family was still prosperous without misfortune. He couldn’t yet perpetrate those terrible deeds.