Concubine Zhou put down her brush.

“Yueniang,” she said slowly, “she’s been quite lively lately.”

“Yes,” A’Jin said, “this servant thinks the Young Madam has finally come to her senses…”

Concubine Zhou laughed.

“Her…” she shook her head and said, while continuing to pick up her brush to copy the Buddhist scripture, “Has she come to her senses? I feel like from the moment she entered our family, she’s been so frightened she’s never slept – what awakening is there to speak of?”

Thinking of the Young Madam’s appearance, A’Jin also had nothing to say.

“I said long ago that children from such backgrounds are rotten to the bone unless they undergo complete spiritual transformation – otherwise they cannot be helped. The Old Madam just wouldn’t listen, truly bewitched as others say, even going so far as to request an imperial decree for the marriage arrangement. I know that regarding Cheng-ge’s marriage, the Old Madam certainly won’t let that wretched woman have an easy time, but this went too far. Not only will that wretched woman not have it easy, what advantage do we gain?” Concubine Zhou said slowly. Speaking of the past and thinking of the present, even after copying Buddhist scriptures for three years, her state of mind was still disturbed, her brush trembling slightly as she wrote.

She spoke the term “wretched woman” casually from her mouth, while A’Jin’s expression remained indifferent, even nodding slightly.

“A beggar! A beggar! Without father, mother, relatives, or support. Apart from giving that wretched woman a hard slap, I also injured my own hand, causing that wretched woman to go mad with revenge after her death, forcing us into a helpless position unable to fight back. If I had listened to my advice back then and chosen a good match for Cheng-ge’er, I wouldn’t have fallen to this state now…” Concubine Zhou sighed and put down her brush, her expression showing some resentment. “Do you know what that wretched woman sent to our Zhou family as New Year gifts this year? The Old Madam has only been gone three years, and she dares to do this. My brother sent word scolding me, but what can I do? Don’t I want to? Don’t I want to be as glorious as when the Old Madam was alive?”

A’Jin poured a cup of tea and brought it over.

“Concubine, please take care of your health,” she advised in a low voice.

Concubine Zhou closed her eyes to calm her emotions, took a sip of tea, and let out a breath.

“My health is fine. I not only want to receive more of the Marquis’s affection than that wretched woman, bear more children than her, but also outlive her. I will definitely take good care of my health. I must watch her die first…” she said slowly, showing a slight smile on her face.

“Concubine, I feel the Young Madam is different this time,” A’Jin paused for a moment before speaking. “No matter what, she is someone personally chosen by the Old Madam. In this household, she is someone you can be close to, Concubine. Moreover, her position is there. Have you forgotten that the Old Madam originally placed the household management token directly in her hands, to be fully handed over to her three days after the wedding, with you supporting her? It’s just that no one expected the Old Madam to pass so suddenly, and the Young Madam cried herself into that state. No matter how you spoke to her, she wouldn’t listen, which gave the Great Madam the opportunity to seize the household management rights…”

Concubine Zhou gripped her teacup tightly and let out a heavy breath.

“Let’s not mention the past. Having it in her hands is no different from having it in a dead person’s hands,” she said.

“But this time the Young Madam did very well,” A’Jin said. “Now the entire household knows that the Young Madam walked the road to the underworld, and it was the Old Madam who personally pushed her back. Since the Old Madam let her return, naturally she wants her to manage the household.”

Concubine Zhou turned her teacup in her hands, listening to her words, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Speaking of which, it’s really true,” she looked at A’Jin and smiled. “This girl actually knows how to pull such a trick. It sounds absurd, but undeniably, the more absurd it is, the faster it spreads, and people’s impressions are deeper…”

“Exactly,” A’Jin smiled. “Also, she cleanly and decisively taught a lesson to a maid and several old women, making even Pozi Zhou and Pozi Su shocked. The Great Madam doesn’t say anything on the surface, but secretly she still searched the entire household. Is this still called being taboo? In the end, if the Young Madam wants to manage the household, she really can’t handle it well.”

“It’s been three years already, too late,” Concubine Zhou said wistfully.

“Concubine, it’s not too late. Three years, although the Old Madam’s people were replaced by the Great Madam – some switched, some were driven away, some were won over – but hasn’t this also let us see clearly which ones can truly be used and which ones are just fence-sitters? Now those who still think of the Old Madam, as long as the Young Madam calls out once, they will definitely be devoted to her.”

“That wretched woman has been married into the family for eighteen years, but was suppressed to death by the Old Madam. It’s only been three years. Though she seems to have grasped the great power of the Marquis household, she’s just a transplanted tree with shallow roots. If the wind gets strong enough…” Concubine Zhou said slowly, her expression changing.

“Yes, so, you see, should this servant take a walk to Qiutong Courtyard? To see what the Young Madam’s intentions are,” A’Jin asked.

Concubine Zhou remained silent for a moment.

“Let’s forget it,” she finally said, picking up her brush again. “Let’s watch and see. You keep an eye on that side, but don’t act rashly. We don’t want to set up the stage only to have the performer lose their voice – then we’d be the ones left hanging on stage.”

Indeed, thinking of the Young Madam’s usual temperament, this was really possible. A’Jin sighed.

“This servant was too hasty,” she said.

“No rush, take it slowly. We’ve endured this long – what’s one or two more days?” Concubine Zhou said with a smile.

A’Jin said nothing more, quietly grinding ink. The curling Buddhist incense from the desk dispersed throughout the room.

The June weather was very stifling, especially when A’Ru saw the charcoal fire lit in the courtyard, she felt sweat immediately break out on her body.

A’Ru was excitedly and eagerly taking over the barbecue work from Qi Yue.

“…When there’s open flame, splash some water…” Qi Yue sat down on a beauty couch nearby, fanning herself with a small fan while giving instructions.

Here, A’Ru was busy but smiling as she placed various foods on the wire mesh. Due to her unpracticed movements, she kept getting burned and putting her fingers in her mouth to suck them.

“A’Ru, I’ve finished grilling this. Come try it,” Qi Yue saw A’Ru and called out with a smile, pointing to the food arranged on the small stone table nearby.

“…In winter when it snowed, the young ladies at home also played with this…” A’Ru walked over a few steps and said with a smile. But at that time, it was all the kitchen women who were busy – the little maids would never get to do it themselves, let alone servants like them.

“We prefer to eat this in summer…” Qi Yue said casually. She had rented a small apartment next to the hospital with an open-air platform. In summer, when she wasn’t working night shifts, colleagues and friends all liked to gather at her place to eat, drink, and complain about work pressures, disobedient patients, and leadership gossip…

A’Ru, who was reaching to light the lamps in the courtyard, paused slightly.

“Young Madam, try this and see if it’s good,” A’Hao held up a skewer of tofu and called out happily to Qi Yue.

Qi Yue leaned forward to take it.

“Mm, not bad, use less salt… the meat should be flipped… be careful…”

A’Hao hissed as she sucked in cool air, putting her finger in her mouth again, but kept laughing.

“This isn’t about the eating, it’s about the fun,” Qi Yue said with a smile, lying back on the beauty couch.

The night was hazy, with stars dotting the sky.

Such night skies were rarely seen in the city. It was only after coming to Mount Daqing that she had the fortune to see them often.

But she hadn’t expected that seeing this same starry sky again would be in two different time-spaces.

Qi Yue pillowed her hands behind her neck, gazing at the night sky, wondering what her relatives and friends were doing now. Were they immersed in grief over losing a loved one, or continuing their day-to-day lives? Perhaps they were walking home from work, or changing shifts and beginning rounds, or calling friends to start their nightlife.

And all of this once-familiar life had nothing to do with her anymore. She was like sitting alone in front of a big screen, watching the bustling prosperity inside that she could never touch.

A’Ru withdrew her gaze and continued lighting the lanterns in the courtyard one by one.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, interrupting A’Hao’s laughter and Qi Yue’s wandering thoughts.

Qiutong Courtyard rarely had visitors. Recently, only because Qi Yue and A’Hao loved to tinker with food had they attracted some young maids to the door, but those were just the lowest-ranking rough maids.

“A’Hao, A’Hao,” a clear female voice called from outside the door.

“It’s Caijuan,” A’Ru recognized the voice and said, somewhat surprised.

“Who is Caijuan?” Qi Yue asked casually.

Just as A’Hao was about to speak, someone outside answered for her.

“I’m Caijuan from Third Young Master’s courtyard,” the female voice said, while gently knocking on the door again.

Marquis Dingxi had four sons. Qi Yue nodded and paid no more attention, continuing to lie down fanning herself while looking at the stars.

“Caijuan, why are you here?” A’Ru went forward to open the door.

Qi Yue glanced over and saw a maid about the same build as A’Hao standing at the door, but she didn’t step inside.

“What else could it be? I was lured here by the fragrance…” Caijuan said with a laugh. Halfway through her words, she suddenly noticed Qi Yue sitting in the courtyard. By the light of the lanterns and stars, she saw the woman’s posture was languid – if not for the small fan moving in front of her, she would have thought she was asleep.

“Young Madam…” she called out, lowering her body in a bow.

Qi Yue didn’t move, just smiled at her while fanning herself.

“Do you want to try A’Hao’s cooking?” she asked with a smile.

“A’Hao’s cooking is quite famous now,” Caijuan said with a flattering smile.

A’Hao, who had just picked up two meat skewers, smiled proudly.

“It’s what the Young Madam taught…” she started to say.

A’Ru coughed.

“Here, these are for you to eat,” A’Hao quickly swallowed her unfinished words, and as if to cover up, she stepped forward and handed the skewers to Caijuan.

Caijuan accepted them with a smile.

“Then I won’t be polite. I came here just for this. I happened to be passing by, smelled the fragrance, and couldn’t move on,” she said with a laugh, while bowing to Qi Yue again. “Young Madam, please don’t laugh at my gluttony.”

“Being able to eat and loving to eat is great fortune,” Qi Yue said with a smile, sitting up. “A’Ru, take this eggplant, garlic, and chicken wings for her to try.”

“Thank you so much, Young Madam,” Caijuan said with a bow and a smile.

“You’re really lucky. These were personally grilled by our Young Madam…” A’Hao said somewhat reluctantly. Before she could finish, A’Ru interrupted her again.

“Since the Young Madam has spoken to reward someone, don’t think about being lazy. Just grill some more for the Young Madam,” A’Ru said with a smile.

A’Hao nodded somewhat sheepishly.

Caijuan smiled without speaking, took the handful of skewers A’Ru handed her, thanked them again, and turned to leave.

She took quick small steps to a large tree not far away. Only when she got close did she see a figure standing in the tree’s shadow.

“Young Master,” Caijuan called out in a low voice.

Chang Yunqi stood in the tree’s shadow, his gaze still fixed on Qiutong Courtyard. The main gate was closing, blocking the view of that already somewhat unfamiliar female figure.