◎Two lifetimes, the same handwriting, yet because of the differences after her return to the residence, it had become so different.◎

For the next several days, Lan Shanjun learned etiquette from Zhu Shi in her room. She learned quickly and well, truly able to draw inferences from one example. Zhu Shi praised her effusively, saying with delight, “Shanjun, you’re truly clever.”

She had originally thought it would take at least half a year to correct her previous bad habits, but unexpectedly it went so smoothly. At this rate, she could attend the banquet at Marquis Boyuan’s residence, and during New Year’s, she could even be brought along to visit various households.

Having made these plans, she needed to prepare many things. She had someone summon the Third Young Madam, saying, “I want Shanjun and Huihui to wear the same clothing and the same jewelry. I also want to have matching longevity locks made. When the time comes, they can go pay New Year’s calls at various households all neat and tidy—that’s sure to win praise.”

The Third Young Madam flattered her, “Indeed! Sixth Sister has a heroic air, and Seventh Sister is beautiful. In my view, even in all of Luoyang, they’d rank among the finest.”

Zhu Shi had always been gentle. Holding the Third Young Madam’s hand, she said, “No matter how good they are, they don’t compare to you. These past few months, if you hadn’t helped me manage the household, how could I have been so relaxed?”

The Third Young Madam smiled, also feeling that having such a reasonable mother-in-law was her good fortune. She nodded in acceptance of the task. “Mother, rest assured. I’ll send someone to the Treasure Pavilion right away to bring back samples. Once Mother and the sisters have chosen their styles, I’ll have them prioritize making ours. That way, everything can be finished before New Year’s.”

Before leaving, she smiled at Lan Shanjun, who was memorizing genealogies of aristocratic families: “Sister is truly remarkable. When I was young, it took me a very long time to memorize family genealogies. I heard from Mother that Sister has already memorized them after just two days?”

Lan Shanjun smiled and shook her head. “I’m sixteen learning what Sister-in-law learned at six, and I’m still learning this slowly. Please don’t praise me so highly, Sister-in-law.”

The Third Young Madam liked precisely this courteous manner of hers. When she first learned that Lan Shanjun would be returning, she’d actually worried, fearing they’d be bringing back some great Buddha from the marketplace with the temperament of a village woman who understood no etiquette and would throw the household into chaos. But the person turned out unexpectedly well, so she breathed a sigh of relief and was willing to treat her kindly.

She asked, “What color clothing does Sister prefer? What style of patterns?”

Lan Shanjun replied, “I’m not particular.”

The Third Young Madam raised her eyebrows with interest.

Not particular about food preferences, not particular about clothing and jewelry either. Rather than saying she had no preferences, it was more that she lacked confidence. She felt somewhat sorry for her, assuming she was anxious about just returning and didn’t dare ask for much.

People always enjoy pitying the weak. She said, “Then I’ll select several more options for Sister to see.”

Lan Shanjun smiled, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

The Third Young Madam left satisfied. Zhu Shi was pleased to see harmony in the household. She had Lan Shanjun set aside the genealogies and gently took her hand to practice calligraphy. “Your handwriting is quite good, but it looks like you haven’t held a brush for a long time—it’s somewhat rusty after all. Today, let’s first practice foundation strokes. Tomorrow, once you’re familiar with it, you can begin copying the Scripture of Great Peace. During New Year’s, you can present two scrolls of the Scripture of Great Peace to your grandfather and father—that would be the greatest filial devotion.”

Lan Shanjun quietly assented.

Zhu Shi sat beside her grinding ink, saying with genuine joy, “You don’t know—taking you and Huihui to pay New Year’s calls is something from my dreams. I dream about it from time to time, dreaming that you didn’t die back then, that I had two daughters. During New Year’s, I would take you both to keep vigil and set off firecrackers…”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened and tears fell.

Her personal servants began consoling her. Zhu Shi felt embarrassed and looked up at Lan Shanjun, afraid her own emotion had affected her daughter to tears as well. Instead, she saw her frozen in place, as if her spirit had wandered away.

She smiled and pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Shanjun?”

Lan Shanjun came back to herself. Zhu Shi smiled, “What’s wrong?”

Lan Shanjun shook her head. “Nothing.”

She had just suddenly remembered something.

She recalled that in her previous life, being illiterate, she had never “shown filial devotion” to Grandfather and Father. Before New Year’s, she had also been kept at home by Grandmother and Mother for “not respecting education,” so she had never gone out visiting with them either.

Her first year in Luoyang, half the days had been cold and desolate.

Fortunately, she was accustomed to desolation. She entertained herself by catching fish from the pond to roast and eat, pasting fish fins on the door to symbolize abundance year after year.

When Mother saw this, she was displeased again, sighing, “Shanjun, you must change.”

Lan Shanjun felt Mother was prejudiced against her.

What was wrong with catching a fish? If someone else did this, it would only be considered an amusing boudoir pastime. But when she did it, because she didn’t understand etiquette, it became the barbarism of Shuzhou.

She said, “Do young ladies from other families never catch fish? Not even daughters of military families? Do the rules of aristocratic houses specifically prohibit me from pasting fish fins on doors?”

She sat upright, prepared to argue with Mother. But the methods of great households were not something she could resolve. Mother only needed to have those around her beaten, and she was helpless.

She still remembered—the first to be beaten for her sake was Xuan Xia. That day, she had taken Xuan Xia to catch the fish.

On New Year’s Day no less, Xuan Xia’s palms were beaten to pulp, and her heart grew cold along with them.

This should have been the beginning of her discord with Mother.

Yet now, Mother said that in countless dreams, she had imagined taking her and Huihui together to keep vigil and pay New Year’s calls…

Her hand paused while copying the Scripture of Great Peace, and ink stained half the page.

This sheet of paper was now unusable. Mother didn’t blame her, only had her change to a new sheet, then picked up the ruined paper to look at it. She said with curiosity, “Shanjun, this handwriting of yours doesn’t seem like it was learned from your master. I don’t see the slightest trace of Buddhist contemplative essence. Instead, it has a certain…”

She considered her words carefully. “Instead, it has a momentum of wanting to break through the clouds and reach the heavens.”

She looked at Lan Shanjun, then at the characters on the paper. “Your temperament is gentle and mild, yet your writing is different. I suppose this is still a youthful spirit.”

This wasn’t a bad thing. Zhu Shi smiled, “In life, one must have the ambition to ‘borrow the power of favorable winds to send me soaring to the azure clouds.'”

Lan Shanjun’s expression grew complex. She set down her brush and finally fixed her gaze on Mother. “Truly?”

Zhu Shi replied, “Truly. What young person hasn’t been this way?”

But Lan Shanjun remembered that in her previous life, Mother had reproached her: “Your writing is too sharp and aggressive. When you’ve ground away this wildness of ambition, then come learn other things from me.”

Two lifetimes, the same handwriting, yet because of the differences after her return to the residence, it had become so different.

She took a deep breath, picked up her brush again, lowered her head and eyes, and continued copying the Scripture of Great Peace, stroke by stroke, on the paper.

—But none of this mattered much anymore.

Yet Zhu Shi was bewildered by the sudden sorrow that had invaded her daughter’s eyes just now. But seeing Lan Shanjun’s posture of devoutly copying the Scripture of Great Peace, she didn’t want to disturb her, so she went to see her younger daughter instead.

Perhaps having caught cold during the heavy snow earlier, Lan Hui had been coughing continuously and was only now improving somewhat. Zhu Shi worried, “From now on, we must watch you carefully. You can’t catch even the slightest chill.”

Lan Hui snuggled into her embrace, asking curiously, “Mother came from Sixth Sister’s place? Did Sixth Sister study well today?”

Zhu Shi nodded. “She truly grasps things immediately, as clever as you.”

Just… she hesitated. “She’s just too sensible, which makes her seem, seem somewhat…”

Lan Hui had been close to Mother since childhood. She smiled, “Mother, what can’t you say to me?”

Zhu Shi sighed. “It’s nothing really. I just feel that her being too sensible actually makes her seem distant from us.”

Lan Hui didn’t understand. She sat up properly, wrapped in her blanket. “But doesn’t Mother like how sensible Sixth Sister is? If she weren’t sensible, Mother would be troubled again.”

Zhu Shi reached out and tapped her forehead with her index finger. “You’re the clever one!”

She laughed. “You’re right. It’s only been such a short time—how could we suddenly become close? If she’s sensible, I’ll have less to worry about. Otherwise, I’d be constantly anxious.”

Yet these words proved prophetic. Within a few days, Lan Shanjun caused trouble that gave her cause for concern.

That day happened to be the tenth of the twelfth lunar month. After days of continuous overcast rain, the sky finally cleared. Old Lady of Duke Zhenguo was in good spirits and summoned her grandchildren to read the Scripture of Great Peace together in the garden.

This was her favorite activity.

Both her sons had died on the battlefield. When her husband and son returned, they practiced Daoism to pray for her sons’ blessings, so she too came to believe in Daoism—though she had previously believed in Buddhism.

To avoid Buddha’s blame, she held a great religious ceremony at the residence, inviting the abbot of White Horse Temple to come and escort away the Buddha statue. She then held another great ceremony, inviting the Three Pure Ones to enshrine, and from then on knelt in devout worship without wavering devotion. She also required that all the family’s elders and youngsters maintain this single-minded faith as well.

There weren’t many juniors in the household to begin with. The three young masters had to attend their studies and weren’t at the residence.

Therefore, those reading the Scripture of Great Peace were only Lan Shanjun, the recently recovered Lan Hui, and the Third Young Madam.

On the way there, the three encountered each other, and Lan Hui quietly shared her experience with Third Sister-in-law and Sixth Sister: “We read for an entire day at a stretch. In a moment, you should ask Grandmother for some good tea, otherwise your throat will be parched.”

The Third Young Madam had been newly married into the family for nearly four months but was joining in reading the Scripture of Great Peace for the first time. She smiled, “I’ve never read the Scripture of Great Peace before. If I don’t read well, Grandmother will probably blame me.”

Lan Hui consoled her, “She won’t. Grandmother has always been kind, just extremely devout, so she demands we be devout as well.”

Then she looked at Lan Shanjun, saying with concern, “It’s just that Sixth Sister… when you read, you’ll probably suffer.”

Lan Shanjun understood her meaning. But she pretended not to, smiling as she asked, “Why would I suffer?”

The Third Young Madam had developed quite a favorable impression of Lan Shanjun these past few days. Moreover, both of them were considered “newcomers” to this household, so she felt more sympathetic toward her. She explained gently, “You just returned, and you still carry the Shu accent…”

Lan Shanjun made a show of sudden realization, saying, “In that case, should I not go?”

But neither Lan Hui nor the Third Young Madam dared disobey the old lady. Lan Hui came up with an idea: “Sixth Sister, in a moment you recite quietly, and Third Sister-in-law and I will recite loudly. Will that work?”

The Third Young Madam smiled and nodded beside her, not saying anything about letting her leave. Lan Hui even stepped forward to embrace her. “Come on, Sixth Sister, come on. We’ll provide cover for you.”

Lan Shanjun had no choice but to be dragged along.

Upon reaching the Crane-Deer Courtyard where the old lady lived, she sat to one side and chanted quietly without saying much.

Regarding Grandmother, she had no favorable impressions.

Unlike her concern about Mother in her youth, Grandmother disliked her, she disliked Grandmother, and she hadn’t held back from cursing her in secret.

But after cursing, she would regret it, feeling her conscience wasn’t quite right.

After all, for a mother who had lost two sons, being unwilling to hear the Shu accent was entirely reasonable. Each time Lan Shanjun stubbornly knelt down, utterly unyielding, but at night upon returning, a sense of guilt would rise in her heart.

She had rather looked down on this aspect of her own character before, considering it indecisiveness, so she tried to learn the decisive manner of those more forthright people. But thinking carefully about it now, this was her naturally kind and gentle heart, her ability to empathize with others’ difficulties—there was nothing wrong with it.

She didn’t need to reproach herself late at night.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t reproach herself late at night anymore now.

Word by word, she read quietly: “Good deeds beget good responses; good naturally promotes itself. Evil deeds beget evil responses; evil naturally follows itself. All have roots and foundations, extending everywhere above and below.”

Though she still carried the Shu accent, her voice wasn’t loud, so Old Lady of Duke Zhenguo found it tolerable to listen to. However, seeing Lan Shanjun’s obedient manner, a different notion arose in her heart.

She devoutly believed in Daoism, hoping her two deceased sons could attain immortality after death. She was therefore unwilling to have a Buddhist believer in the household disrupting the Daoist sanctuary.

Reclining on a couch carved with patterns of immortals, pines, and cranes, she smiled benevolently, “Shanjun.”

Lan Shanjun raised her head, her eyes calm.

The old lady mentioned it as if casually, “I heard from your mother that you lit lamps at White Horse Temple for your master and other departed ones?”

Lan Shanjun nodded. “Yes.”

The old lady smiled warmly. “Our family doesn’t believe in Buddhism. We once had Buddha statues, but we escorted them away. Having escorted them away then, if descendants now worship again, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to Buddha and also disrespectful to the Three Pure Ones?”

She said in a pleasant, good-natured tone, “Why don’t you move all four lamps you lit to a Daoist temple instead?”

—

**[Author’s Note]**

Good night

①: From the Scripture of Great Peace, I selected a passage fitting for the scene.