The next day, Ji Cheng rose early. She first went to the kitchen to prepare ingredients for the Double Ninth Festival flower cakes with Cook Liu, then attended her lessons. After class, she dove back into the kitchen.
By evening, Ji Cheng’s Double Ninth flower cakes were finally ready. She had put great effort into them, creating nine layers topped with two adorable white lambs molded from flour, symbolizing the homophone of “yang” (sheep/sun). Ji Cheng had even sculpted expressions on the lambs, using black sesame seeds for eyes, which, when arranged, gave them a watery-eyed look.
Ji Cheng delivered the cakes to Old Madam’s room, naturally including Princess An He, Madam Huang, and Ji Lan’s quarters. She didn’t forget her sisters’ rooms either, but her cousins were the main event.
Ji Cheng first went to Shen Yu’s courtyard, where his maid Ruixue greeted her. Hearing of Ji Cheng’s arrival, Young Master Hong put down his brush and came running out with a “pitter-patter.”
“Elder Sister Cheng,” Hong exclaimed, his eyes crinkled with joy.
“You should call her Aunt Cheng,” Ruixue corrected. As Hong’s mother’s former headmaid and now Shen Yu’s maid, she felt at liberty to correct him.
Hong pouted without speaking, then turned to Lu Yuan, who had come with Ji Cheng, calling her “Aunt Yuan.”
Lu Yuan, smiling, reached out to pinch Hong’s chubby white cheeks, but he dodged with a frown.
Lu Yuan awkwardly withdrew her hand and bent down, asking Hong with a smile, “Why am I ‘Aunt Yuan’ while she’s ‘Elder Sister Cheng’?”
Hong hesitated, unsure of the reason himself. He just felt closer to Ji Cheng, and calling her “aunt” seemed less intimate.
While Lu Yuan teased Hong, Ji Cheng asked Ruixue, “Is Cousin Yu home?”
Ruixue shook her head, about to speak when Shen Yu entered from outside.
Ji Cheng and Lu Yuan greeted Shen Yu, who returned the greeting and asked Hong, “Have you finished your studies?”
Hong lowered his little head and shook it, “I’ll go back to practice writing now.”
Ji Cheng had Liuye’er hand over her homemade Double Ninth flower cakes to Ruixue. Shen Yu merely said, “Thank you for your trouble, Cousin,” before entering his room.
Lu Yuan winked at Ji Cheng, “How cold.”
Ji Cheng smiled, “Go see Hong and give him the special small Double Ninth cake you made for him.”
Lu Yuan nodded. Her flower cakes weren’t as pretty as Ji Cheng’s, and though they were nominally made by Lu Yuan, Ji Cheng had helped mold the lambs. Hong’s cake was only palm-sized, much smaller and cuter than the regular ones, with more vibrant colors that children would likely enjoy.
Lu Yuan whispered to Ji Cheng, “Thank you, Cheng’er.”
“No need for thanks. I’m just hoping to call you ‘Cousin-in-law’ soon,” Ji Cheng teased softly in Lu Yuan’s ear.
Lu Yuan blushed and gently pushed Ji Cheng’s shoulder.
Ji Cheng’s luck at Shen Yu’s Changheng Courtyard didn’t extend to the Jiuli Courtyard. While Shen Yu had many social engagements, he often returned home. Shen Che, however, was different, often absent for ten to fifteen days at a time.
Somewhat disappointed, Ji Cheng handed the flower cakes to Nishan, asking, “Sister Nishan, did Cousin Che say when he’d return?”
Nishan shook her head, “The young master’s whereabouts are always uncertain, and we’re not allowed to inquire.”
Ji Cheng had to leave, disappointed.
After Ji Cheng left, Yuyi turned to Nishan with a smirk, “Another cousin. Miss Su no longer comes to curry favor, so now it’s Miss Ji. She should know her place.”
Nishan remained silent. Yuyi continued, “The young master won’t eat these anyway. Sister, why not give them to Tongyue and the others? The children would enjoy them.”
Nishan shook her head, “They were sent for the young master. We should ask him first.”
Yuyi shook her head, “Who knows when he’ll return? Every time you ask, he tells you to handle it anyway.”
Nishan didn’t respond but didn’t follow Yuyi’s suggestion either.
After leaving Jiuli Courtyard, Ji Cheng should have delivered flower cakes to Shen Jing, but given how Ji Lan guarded against her approaching Shen Jing like a thief, Ji Cheng didn’t want to provoke her. So she just had Liuye’er deliver the food box to Shen Jing.
The next day was the Double Ninth Festival for climbing heights. Beijing was surrounded by mountains to the north, including famous ones like Suyu Mountain, Longquan Mountain, Jiulong Mountain, and Taihua Mountain. Following the mountain range northwest led to the renowned Leyou Plain.
However, for the Double Ninth ascent, they couldn’t go that far, mostly autumn-viewing on these four mountains near Beijing. Since Old Madam enjoyed the vegetarian dishes at Huaixue Nunnery on Suyu Mountain, the Shen family usually went there for the Double Ninth ascent.
Early in the morning, the Shen family’s carriages were lined up from the manor gate to the street corner. Although Princess An He wasn’t going, Madam Huang had to handle household matters, and Ji Lan feigned illness to avoid climbing, there were many young ladies in the Shen family. Along with their maids, servants, and footmen, it was quite a grand procession.
Due to the large number of Shen family members and the many people visiting Suyu Mountain that day, the temple at the foot couldn’t accommodate all the carriages. Only Old Madam’s and a few young ladies’ carriages were parked at Hua’en Temple at the mountain’s base. The rest either found parking at smaller temples or temporary spots at tenant farmers’ homes.
Ji Cheng had thought Shen Che wouldn’t come and was worried about He Ren’s matter. To her surprise, upon alighting from the carriage, she saw Shen Che talking with Old Madam, which slightly eased her mind.
The paths up Suyu Mountain were divided into east, west, and central routes, with many smaller trails ideal for exploring secluded spots. Old Madam couldn’t climb the mountain, so she chose the central route where she could ride in a carriage for part of the way. Shen Che wanted to accompany Old Madam, but she waved him away dismissively, “What could you possibly talk about with me? Go enjoy yourself. Let Jun’er accompany me.”
As long as Shen Che’s marriage wasn’t settled, Old Madam found him more of an eyesore each day.
Old Madam and Old Madam Su rode up the mountain together, taking only Su Jun with them. Ji Cheng joined Shen Yuan, Shen Rong, and others on the eastern path. Since the purpose was to climb high and enjoy the scenery while exercising, they naturally didn’t use carriages or sedan chairs.
The mountain was secluded and the paths narrow. The eastern route had a mountain spring flowing from the peak along a ravine, with the sound of gurgling water. Ji Cheng loved water, and couldn’t help stopping to admire the small cascades from nearby thatched pavilions. She had also brought a writing case with a bamboo-carved female attendant reading poetry design. The case contained a complete set of the scholar’s four treasures, and when opened on both sides, it became a portable small table. When encountering particularly beautiful scenery, Ji Cheng would stop to sketch with ink.
Meanwhile, Liuye’er and Yuqian’er opened a large tea box of the same color, with a bamboo-carved East Mountain Go design. The tea box was divided into three layers: the first layer opened into a small table, the second contained tea sets, tea leaves, and various snacks, and the third acted as cabinet feet, with the left side holding large porcelain items like tea washers and copper kettles, and the right side containing a small charcoal stove and charcoal.
Shen Cui was impatient, and Shen Rong and Lu Yuan couldn’t wait either. The three had long since left Ji Cheng behind. Shen Yuan, however, enjoyed a cup of clear tea with Ji Cheng, remarking, “You’re so well-prepared. This is how one should truly enjoy mountain sightseeing.”
“I have no choice. My teacher assigned me homework, so I’m taking advantage of this mountain climb to sketch some natural mountain and water scenes,” Ji Cheng explained.
After finishing her tea, Shen Yuan stood up, “Take your time enjoying the scenery. I’ll go ahead to check on things, so we don’t miss lunch.”
Ji Cheng nodded, “Mm, I’ll catch up soon.”
Ji Cheng sketched quickly, only roughly outlining to familiarize herself with the composition and layout of mountain and water scenes. The “Clear Paper” at Qingcang Tower was selling well, requiring new prints, and the shopkeeper hoped Ji Cheng could draw a set of autumn and winter mountain scenes to match the seasons.
After the maidservants packed up the utensils, Ji Cheng had them go ahead with the items to Huaixue Nunnery, where they would have lunch. She then continued climbing with Liuye’er and Yuqian’er, enjoying the scenery along the way.
The eastern path of Suyu Mountain was serene, with scenery changing along the water. Today, it was crowded with visitors, and Ji Cheng had already encountered several groups of acquaintances, being offered several cups of tea. However, despite the many climbers, some usually less-frequented small paths remained quite peaceful.
Ji Cheng chose the quiet, secluded paths. There were scattered autumn viewers on the way, and she nodded in greeting to those she knew, but they didn’t converse, not wanting to disturb the scenery appreciation.
The plank path climbed high and then curved downward. Ji Cheng leaned out from the path to look, seeing white clouds swirling around the mountainside as if people were traveling through a fairyland. Yuqian’er, however, couldn’t enjoy this view, as she was afraid of heights and clung tightly to Liuye’er’s hand the whole way.
Ji Cheng had sharp eyes and could see, even from over ten zhang away, that Shen Cui and Qi Zheng were sitting in a thatched pavilion jutting out from the mountain for viewing. Their maids and servants were resting by the roadside, leaving the two alone.
Given the vastness of Suyu Mountain, a chance encounter would truly be fate. However, Ji Cheng didn’t believe the meeting between Shen Cui and Qi Zheng was coincidental. How had they managed to contact each other privately in just a few days? Qi Hua must have played a significant role in this.
Ji Cheng thought that Shen Cui was truly acting recklessly. With people coming and going on Suyu Mountain, wasn’t she worried about being seen and becoming the subject of gossip? Even if Shen Cui didn’t care, if Qi Zheng truly cared for her, he should be concerned about her reputation and not indulge in such behavior.
“Why have we stopped, Miss?” Yuqian’er asked Ji Cheng with a trembling voice, eager to reach the level ground where she couldn’t see down the mountain.
“The scenery here is nice. Let’s stand and look for a while,” Ji Cheng said. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move, but the pavilion where Shen Cui and Qi Zheng were sitting was on the necessary path up the mountain. Although Ji Cheng was worried about Shen Cui’s reputation, she absolutely couldn’t be the one to stumble upon Shen Cui and Qi Zheng, lest she be caught in an awkward position. So she could only stay put. But seeing Yuqian’er’s legs shaking badly, Ji Cheng added, “Let’s go back and take another route up the mountain.”
This detour made the journey longer. After walking for a while, Ji Cheng encountered Qi Hua ahead, resting by the roadside with her maid. This spot was where two paths converged, and when Shen Cui and Qi Zheng came up from the lower path, they would meet up with Qi Hua.
Seeing Ji Cheng, Qi Hua awkwardly greeted her, “Sister Cheng.”
Ji Cheng smiled graciously at Qi Hua, “Sister Qi, what a coincidence! Suyu Mountain is so vast, yet we’ve managed to meet.” Ji Cheng exchanged pleasantries with Qi Hua, inquired about Madam Qi’s health, and mentioned that she had spoken to Shopkeeper Li, assuring that if Qi Hua needed anything, Changchun Hall would do its best to accommodate her.