The second year of the Yong’an era was a bountiful year. On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Siniu hurried to the capital with Madam Qiao, saying only that he had an extremely important matter to attend to — he wouldn’t be home again for the New Year celebrations either.

He kowtowed to the Old Madam in farewell, and she made no attempt to keep him. As for how he was doing now, the Old Madam held only one view of him: as long as he had breath in him and wasn’t starving, that was enough — knowing he was alive was sufficient.

Once Chen Siniu had hurriedly departed, the Old Madam quickly sent for her finest clothes, shoes, and the headdresses she’d long been reluctant to wear, and put them all on at once.

Finally, wrapped in the blue brocade “myriad character” pattern down cloak bestowed on her from the palace, a silver fox fur wrap around her neck, she leaned on her cane and let herself be helped outside.

When the first snow had fallen this winter, word had come from the capital that the Old Madam shouldn’t wander outside carelessly. Her adoptive son didn’t otherwise interfere in household matters, but on the rare occasions he did ask something of the family, it was to be obeyed without question.

Once the Old Madam had finally made her way outside and saw Qiqian’er waiting for her at the gate, she complained, “Last year I was still driving the livestock cart around everywhere, not afraid of dying, not afraid of aging either. This kind of wealth and status isn’t for just anyone to enjoy — in just these few months, it’s already aged this old woman considerably.”

Following a single funeral, in just a few months, the Old Madam’s hair had turned entirely silver — not a single black strand remained.

Qiqian’er, feeling for her, came up to support her, coaxing her with a smile. “That’s only because your son worries about you falling. This winter’s snow has been light but scattered, on and off — that alone isn’t so bad, but this place we live now isn’t like where you used to stay, where the ground was earthen with some give to it. Here it’s stone paving everywhere, so you really must protect your arms and legs carefully — otherwise if you fall, I’ll have to spend money on you again!”

Hearing this, the Old Madam huffed and gave her a light tap. “Such a stingy tongue you have!”

As they chatted and laughed, at the end of the alley, Meng Wanquan’s new bride, Madam Lu, came over with a train of young maids, carrying various household items.

In the past the Old Madam had felt some dissatisfaction about Meng Wanquan marrying a widow, but ever since Madam Lu had entered the household, she’d realized there truly were people with a silver tongue in this world — not even her sharp-tongued but soft-hearted Qian’er could compare. This Madam Lu had such an endearing way of speaking that not only did Wanquan smile like this every day, even the Old Madam herself found herself unable to stop being delighted.

Spotting the Old Madam, Madam Lu shaded her eyes with her hand from a distance, as if peering to get a better look, and called out loudly, “Say, Qian’er? Who’s that lovely one beside you? All rosy and glowing, with a whole row of flowers pinned atop her head — standing there in the snow like a beauty straight out of a painting! How have I never seen her before?”

At once, laughter broke out all around. Qiqian’er stood in front of the Old Madam, putting on an air of mock severity and retorted, “You sharp-mouthed monkey-faced troublemaker, always stirring things up wherever you go. What kind of look is that? This is naturally our family’s beauty…”

Before she could finish, she got smacked once more.

The Old Madam waved a hand toward Madam Lu in greeting and asked, “Why’d you come out? Aren’t you cold? Where’s your mother?”

Madam Lu, supported by her maid, came over smiling, first bowing to the Old Madam, then gesturing toward the maids and servant boys behind her. “My mother’s doing needlework at home, Grandmother. Since Elder Cousin and the others are coming back today, Qian’er always handles things so properly, she’s surely already prepared everything — but you’ve only just settled into Qingfeng recently, so I worried some things might not be quite at hand!

“We used to run a tinware shop back home, but we closed it down during all the upheaval, and there’s still half a storeroom of household goods left — candlesticks, footbasins, wine jugs, decorative pieces, all sitting there in piles. So I picked out a few things to bring over for Elder Cousin and the others to use.”

This was thoughtful — truly, exceptionally thoughtful.

Three days after Madam Lu had married into the family, the Chen household received a letter from Ding Xiang’s husband, Cui Youqin, addressed to the Old Madam, saying he’d already received his transfer order and would soon be heading to Yandu’s Right Army Commandery. He didn’t specify exactly what post he’d hold, only that he’d received the order together with Dazhong, Dayi, and Dayong, and that all had been promoted a rank as well, and would report to the Commandery after the New Year to await their superiors’ orders.

Hearing this news, the Old Madam wept loudly with joy, and from then on counted down the days, longing for the reunion.

Qiqian’er, receiving this letter, was equally bewildered at first, but having grown used to such surprises, she understood at once — her cousins’ fates had been altered. Men who should have spent their whole lives stationed in distant commanderies were now returning to the capital. But then again, what of it? She herself had died once and lived again — why shouldn’t others be allowed a promotion?

What she didn’t know, however, was that ever since Chen Dasheng had taken up night-watch duty, the Emperor, having nothing else to do, often chatted idly with him, and had happened to hear that the Old Madam back home longed for a full family reunion. The Emperor had then had Guo Qian look into arranging it.

Some things take three lifetimes of ox-like effort for ordinary people to achieve; for others, a single word suffices.

The Old Madam had no idea it had taken her two lifetimes to finally receive this family reunion — she was simply overjoyed beyond words, and more than once had quietly told Zhang Wanru’s mother, Madam Dong, that her granddaughter-in-law must be the reincarnation of a lucky star — ever since she’d joined the family, everything they wished for simply came to them.

After that, every time Madam Dong visited, she’d grab Qiqian’er’s hand and rub it back and forth seventeen or eighteen times, leaving Qiqian’er utterly bewildered by the gesture.

As happy as everyone was, there was also genuinely a great deal to do. Four households were returning, and the residences reserved for them had all been rented out for three years — not even a full year had passed yet, so they couldn’t simply evict the tenants.

The rental income was currently sitting safely in the Old Madam’s coffers. After much consideration, they could only arrange for Ding Xiang and the others to temporarily stay in the courtyard originally set aside for Chang Lianfang.

Today the Old Madam had come out specifically to check whether the rooms prepared for her grandsons were fully ready, since word was they’d arrive today — Quanzi had gone out early that morning to meet them.

Madam Lu’s playful banter left the Old Madam beaming with joy. She was no longer as narrow-minded as before — sums even in the tens of thousands of taels no longer impressed her much — and hearing Madam Lu wanted to give household items, she accepted generously, then turned to instruct Qiqian’er, “Have Jixiang collect these things and count them properly, then have Yiyue go draw money from my coffers later.”

Madam Lu protested she didn’t want payment, and Qiqian’er said she’d cover it, but the Old Madam looked seriously at the two of them and said, “If you’d given one or two items, I wouldn’t even bring this up — but look how much you brought? This must be over a hundred pieces! Enough! All this furniture, bedding, pots and dishes, even changes of clothing — Qian’er has already prepared plenty of these too.

“How much more do they want? That’s four households coming, all with families in tow. Can your small household keep subsidizing them forever? They’re all older than you two — you shouldn’t be the ones supporting your younger siblings-in-law!

“Clear accounts make for good relations between relatives. If you start this way, it’ll be hard to change later. There’s never an end to what people might want — if you ever have a falling out down the line, it’ll surely cause offense. Better not to start it at all. They’ve all served as officials for many years too — however poor, could they really not afford to light their own stove? And even if they were so poor they couldn’t manage, I, their grandmother, am still alive — the duty to support them falls to me, not to you two!”

These words from the Old Madam left Qiqian’er thoroughly satisfied. It wasn’t that the family couldn’t spare this much, but based on what she understood of her cousins-in-law, though they weren’t bad people, they were… distant. Cool, indifferent, detached — because every time they returned, they’d quietly slip money to the Old Madam and to Qiqian’er as well, which carried with it a faint undertone of condescension.

Yet one couldn’t really call it unkind or disdainful either — no one owed anyone anything, and the fact that they contributed something each visit already showed some conscience. Compared to Yu Qingguan’s siblings, at least there was nowhere left to even cry about it.

Back when the family lived far away and the Old Madam depended on Chen Siniu to survive, whenever relatives traveled a thousand li to visit, they’d inevitably hear a few sour remarks from Madam Qiao, plus some skimming besides. Over time, the Old Madam’s heart had grown cold — without these relatives, she’d simply had nothing left.

Qiqian’er supported the Old Madam as they walked inside. “Grandmother, it’s cold outside, let’s talk indoors.”

The Old Madam patted her hand with a smile. “Good, good, let’s go inside.”

As grandmother and granddaughter walked a few steps, the Old Madam leaned in close to Qiqian’er’s ear, trying to curry favor. “Qian’er, let me tell you — no one outranks you. In your grandmother’s heart, you come first!”

Well, that was something to hear!

Qiqian’er burst out laughing. “Fine! Since you’ve said so, if you ever try to rank me lower later, I won’t want you anymore — you can go live with the rest of them instead.”

The Old Madam pouted. “You’re trying to scare me!”

Rounding the spirit screen into the courtyard, Madam Lu looked up admiringly at the grand five-bay main hall. “Tsk! What a fine courtyard! So dignified! This must have belonged to some civil official of high rank before, right? This house is far more refined than ours — tsk tsk, look at these lattice windows, and that eave design, this wood is clearly top quality… much more spacious than our place. Over at ours, front and back, it’s just plain square windows.”

Madam Lu’s enthusiastic praise pleased the Old Madam even more.

In truth, when Lao Dao had originally chosen the residences, he’d simply pushed open doors and claimed whichever ones were available. Since different builders had constructed each house, naturally there were variations between them. Whatever her own preferences, Qiqian’er had claimed the best one for herself; only Guan Si’er’s household had drawn the short straw, ending up with a more modest three-bay, nine-room courtyard — two rooms fewer per courtyard than everyone else’s — though he still had no idea of this to this day.

Jixiang’s wife, along with a group of servants doing cleanup work, led the way further in once she saw the Old Madam arrive. In front were the rooms for Qiqian’er and the old residence’s storerooms, along with quarters for Jixiang’s family and servants. The grand five-bay hall at the front stood empty, yet it wouldn’t do to have the masters live there either.

Once they reached the back, Madam Lu offered several more rounds of praise, delighting the Old Madam so much her gums showed through her smile.

She Jixiang personally opened the east side chamber and invited the Old Madam in. She asked with a smile, “Who is this arranged for?”

Qiqian’er answered from behind, “This is for Third Elder Cousin.”

The Old Madam nodded approvingly. “Right, right, Chou Shuanzi is Second Branch — your Third Elder Cousin should indeed stay here.”

In truth, the Chen family had an old seniority order, but the Old Madam felt that once someone was gone, they were simply gone, and had rearranged the order according to who remained alive — otherwise every time she counted heads, she’d end up crying all over again.

As a result, Qiqian’er and Chen Dasheng had effectively become the Fourth Young Master and Fourth Young Madam of the household.

This section, too, spanned five bays with three side rooms on each side. The main hall had been given to the Eldest Branch to live in. Ding Xiang’s husband Cui You, despite holding higher official rank, could only stay in the western side room since he was living in his wife’s family home — the eastern side was reserved for the Chen family’s own sons.

The women entered the room chattering and laughing, and instantly felt a wave of warmth.

The Old Madam, deeply satisfied, couldn’t get enough of looking around, and seeing everything in place, leaned in to whisper in Qiqian’er’s ear again, “How much did you spend on all this? Work out a total sum — once next year’s harvest comes in from my fields, I’ll settle the account with you.”

Seeing Qiqian’er about to refuse again, the Old Madam quickly grabbed her hand. “Good child, listen to your grandmother. This morning your Fourth Uncle avoided us again — who knows how much money he took from these people in my name over the years, skimming under my name all this while. Now he doesn’t even dare show his face, hiding from the shame!

“Qian’er, if I were still a poor old woman, I could just let this debt go unpaid. But now I receive your adoptive father’s monthly support, plus all of your filial contributions too. Let the money you’re spending to furnish this household count as settling your Fourth Uncle’s old muddled debts on my behalf. I’ll pay you back. Otherwise this weighs so heavily on my heart, I couldn’t rest even in death…”

Qiqian’er took a breath and nodded earnestly at the Old Madam, reaching up to straighten her glittering headdress. “As you wish. You can pay me back a little each year — there’s no rush at all.”

Hearing her agree, the Old Madam’s heart lightened instantly. Delighted, and emboldened, she began rummaging through chests and cabinets without restraint — after all, this was her own money being spent.

Madam Lu, upon entering the room, fell silent, her eyes immediately drawn to the flat-topped table in the main hall, upon which sat a colorful porcelain vase, a small screen, and a five-drawer cabinet for small odds and ends, while the wall facing it displayed a matched pair of scrolls flanking a guqin. In front of the flat table stood a square table laid with an assortment of dried fruits and pastries, flanked on either side by armchairs.

Though this was only a side chamber, its previous occupants had clearly considered the needs of children entertaining guests, arranging the two facing armchairs and screen to carve out a small study and music room from the space.

Madam Lu, having come from a merchant family herself, could recognize value at a glance. Just that pair of scrolls flanking the guqin on the wall alone looked to be at least a century old — in the capital’s antique shops, such a piece wouldn’t go for less than thirty strings.

She thought inwardly with some astonishment — she’d heard before from Quanzi that the household-managing lady on this side was the most proper and thorough of anyone, but she hadn’t quite believed it. Now, seeing it for herself, this truly was a generous household.

Madam Lu was about to offer more praise when she heard laughter and teasing coming from the courtyard. Hearing the laughter, Qiqian’er knew at once who it must be, and went to lift the curtain — sure enough, it was Zhang Wanru and her mother Madam Dong, along with Ding Yuniang and the two Yu sisters, all arriving together.

Madam Dong entered first, smiling, grabbed Qiqian’er’s hand and rubbed it thoroughly, and Qiqian’er greeted everyone with a mix of laughter and exasperation. None of them had come empty-handed — though the She family wasn’t particularly wealthy, they’d still sent eight sets of satin bedding, while Zhang Wanru, ever the most generous, had directly had servants carry over a dozen bolts of this year’s fashionable satin.

These gifts were all appropriately sized, so Qiqian’er didn’t bring up the matter of payment.

Madam Lu, being someone who gave generously without restraint, tended to give things by the pile whenever she gave at all — in the Old Madam’s words, “the biggest sieve since the world began.”

The Old Madam came out from the east side bedroom, delighted, and went around inspecting everything everyone had brought, especially admiring the several sets of bedding Ding Yuniang had made herself — one touch was enough to tell how sturdy and substantial they were.

After showering everyone with praise once more, and invoking Guanyin Bodhisattva’s blessing upon their entire families, she led everyone into the east side bedroom, which also had a kang, and invited everyone to sit together.

Once everyone was settled, Zhang Wanru teased the Old Madam. “Grandmother must be so happy now — with your grandsons and granddaughters-in-law all coming back, from now on the rest of us will all have to take a step back!”

The Old Madam laughed heartily. “Still jealous, are you? They can’t compare to you girls — while they were away, I relied on you all for filial devotion. Take a step back? Nonsense!”

Having said this, she reached over and gently rubbed Zhang Wanru’s belly affectionately. “This is coming along nicely — next year we’ll be adding another one to the family. I wonder when I’ll live to see a fourth generation.”

The Old Madam rarely spoke of hardship these days, fearing she might talk away her own good fortune.

She missed her grandsons so much her very liver ached, and hadn’t slept well the night before, turning over in her mind how best to arrange the household.

She’d even gotten up in the middle of the night to take all the money out of her chest. Aside from what she didn’t dare touch — set aside for Choutou and his wife — she divided the rest into four piles, yet no matter how she arranged it, it never seemed quite fair. If she divided it equally among each household, wouldn’t that shortchange Choutou and his wife terribly? The family had built up such a fortune, entirely thanks to Qian’er’s efforts — she’d arranged such a fine residence for them, furnished it so completely — even accounting for however many layers of profit Siniu had skimmed off them in the past, this more than made up for it several times over.

But Choutou was Choutou’s own business, and it wasn’t fair to make him and his wife pay for Siniu’s sins either. So the Old Madam kept turning it over and over, counting the money all night long. Not being terribly good with numbers herself, she never quite knew how much was how much, and could only divide it roughly by rough proportions. In the end, she never did settle on a division that satisfied her, and by the time the sky began to lighten, she finally gave up on the matter entirely.

Madam Dong chimed in with a smile. “You don’t need to envy her. And I’m not just flattering you, Grandmother, but think about it — from last year to this year, how many new daughters-in-law has your family added? Counting Qian’er and her cousins-in-law, that’s four in total! Just sit back and enjoy the good fortune — the Bodhisattva has already arranged everything for you. No need to force anything.”

Hearing this, the Old Madam nodded. “That’s right, that’s right, the Bodhisattva arranged it all long ago. Ah~ it’s been four years since I’ve seen them, I wonder what they all look like now…”

As she spoke, she began to grow sentimental again. Worried she might grow too emotional, Qiqian’er quickly helped her put on her shoes and pulled her along for a tour of the back courtyard, even opening the lids of the rice and flour vats and the oil jars in the kitchen to show her everything once more.

Once the tour was done, she brought the Old Madam back to the old residence… and there they waited, clear through until nightfall.

Snow fell across the sky along the official road ten li outside Qingfeng City, where more than twenty carriages had stopped. At a windbreak by Yiting Pavilion, several strong men relieved themselves against the wind before wrapping their trousers back up and returning to the convoy.

A sturdily built man with thick brows, wide eyes, and a full beard went back to his carriage and retrieved a wine gourd, tossing it to a slender, handsome young man with delicate, almost sweet features.

“Second Elder Brother, care for a couple sips?”

Chen Dayi reached out to catch the gourd, pulled the stopper, and drank a few mouthfuls, then looked at the bearded man with a strange expression. “Say, Official Cui? What’s gotten into you these past few days? Gone mad or something?”

As Chen Dayi finished speaking, someone beside him reached over, took the gourd, and drank a few mouthfuls himself — a round-faced man with phoenix eyes, also somewhat sweet-featured, who said once he’d finished, “Ha, what’s there to wonder about? Didn’t his soldier friend say the other day that his promotion is thanks to our Choutou here?”

Cui You felt no shame at this at all, and gave a thumbs up in praise. “Ha! Truly, once you’ve risen on the phoenix’s wing, the wind carries you thousands of li in an instant! Third Elder Brother, don’t you dare feel embarrassed calling me an opportunist — back when I looked after you two, you still wanted to act like my elders? I wouldn’t have it! Now my whole future and fortune depend on my wife’s family — I’ve landed myself the finest of soft rice, so I ought to be treating you two better from now on…”

Just as they laughed and joked, a cold-featured, rather aloof young man climbed out of the covered wagon.

He looked at them and immediately scolded, “Finish relieving yourselves and get back in the carriage! Do you even know what time it is? Don’t you know Grandmother is worried sick at home?”

These four were exactly the ones the Old Madam had been longing for — Chougua, Choudan, Chou Shuanzi, and Ding Xiang’s husband, Cui You.

They had shared a bond forged through life-and-death circumstances in the past. Cui You had once been Dazhong and Dayi’s superior officer — otherwise the Old Madam would never have married Ding Xiang, fifteen years his junior, to him.

Thanks to Cui You’s continued patronage over the years, Dazhong and Dayi had also settled comfortably into the military, and though their rank wasn’t high, they were genuine seventh-rank captains holding real military commissions — already a hundred times better off than what Chen Dasheng had once endured.

As for Dayong, who wasn’t with them, he’d found his own fortune elsewhere and was also doing reasonably well.

Back then, their older brothers had tried to rescue Chen Dasheng, but going by the names they’d later taken — Dazhong, Dayi, Dayong — it was clear they too had once passed through the Tan family’s ranks, and everyone understood: once you entered the Long Blade Battalion, unless you died, there was essentially no way out alive.

For years, because of what had happened to Chen Dasheng, several of their older brothers had carried this weight in their hearts like a great millstone pressing down on them.

Yet who could have imagined that, in the blink of an eye, they’d end up owing their own promotions to this very younger brother?

This whole journey, the four of them had huddled in the carriage, puzzling it over — how, in just a single year’s time, had their younger brother gained such far-reaching influence, arranging promotions for all of them across both the Central and Right Armies at once, and even transferring them into the capital?

Never mind themselves — even the chief commanders of each army camp likely lacked this kind of reach. How exactly had their younger brother managed it?

The truth was, their younger brother had only learned of the Emperor’s favor upon receiving the letter himself, and at most had earnestly kowtowed three times to the Emperor in gratitude, so moved that he’d have gladly gone about stripped bare every night to serve him with utmost loyalty.

With their households in tow — Dazhong and Dayi’s wives were both pregnant — the convoy couldn’t travel quickly, and they’d dawdled along for many days. A few days earlier, they’d run into an old friend of Cui You’s on the official road.

This friend of Cui You’s served in the Imperial Guard and naturally carried himself with some arrogance. He’d greeted Cui You with reserved courtesy at first, but upon learning this was Chen Dasheng’s own elder brothers and brother-in-law — well! In an instant he was practically bowing to them as if they were his own ancestors.

Hearing this man’s exaggerated account, the family finally understood just how remarkable their younger brother had become — though it left their hearts feeling somewhat unreal, almost dizzy with disbelief.

They’d genuinely believed before that their younger brother was nothing more than a gatekeeper.

They’d all privately assumed their brother was something of a fool — after all, hadn’t he never been particularly sharp as a child? And now he was in the imperial palace, having even taken a eunuch as his adoptive father? Though there was nothing shameful about that eunuch father of his, that world was one where power concentrated dangerously, and one wrong step could cost you your head.

Weighed down with such worries, they’d finally made their way to Yiting Pavilion outside Qingfeng City, just as fine snow began to fall. The convoy, not daring to move quickly, pressed on cautiously, and it wasn’t until the first quarter of the Xu hour, with the sky already fully dark, that they finally encountered Meng Wanquan waiting for them at the ten-li pavilion.

Meng Wanquan led them onward, and by the last quarter of the Xu hour, they finally entered Qingfeng City’s New Street.

Chen Dazhong’s wife, Madam Li, supporting her belly, lifted the padded carriage curtain to look outside and asked Meng Wanquan in disbelief, “Quanzi? Is this really Qingfeng City? Why is it in such disarray?”

Qingfeng was currently under construction, with piles of stopped-work brick and tile scattered all along the main street. Meng Wanquan, pulling the cart while breathing out puffs of cold air, turned back and said, “Ah, Elder Sister-in-law, this construction is going to take at least three years no matter what. From now on, whenever we head to Yandu, we’ll have to take the small path through Quanhou Street — you all came in on the old official road, so you wouldn’t have seen this, but there’s no avoiding it now.”

Chen Dazhong nodded and gently pushed his wife’s head back into the carriage, saying with a smile to Meng Wanquan, “Today really was a burden on you, brother Quanzi — suffering through this bitter cold for our sake!”

Meng Wanquan waved a hand and laughed. “Ha! We’re not strangers here!”

Having said this, he led them into the twin-carriage lane and let out a breath. “Just a bit further, past the medicine storehouse where I’m on duty, and we’ll be home!”

Eager to return himself, with the road now clear, he climbed onto his own mule cart and led everyone confidently along the familiar path. After about half an incense stick’s time, Meng Wanquan pulled his cart to a stop and suddenly pointed ahead, calling out, “Look! Brothers! See that? The family’s come out to greet us…”

The brothers, startled, all looked up at once…

They couldn’t make out any people from that distance, but they saw a full twenty or thirty torches cutting through the wind and snow in the night.

“You up ahead… Grandmother’s asking — is that her little Ding Xiang, Choudan, Chougua, Chou Shuanzi?”

The voice calling out belonged to a woman, clear and resonant, carrying far through the night.

Chen Dazhong looked at his two younger brothers and could no longer hold back his composure. He leapt down from the carriage at once, his mind flooding with the memory of his grandmother clinging to the fence of the new recruits’ camp, shouting, don’t be afraid! Mother’s here! Don’t be afraid, my good grandson… Grandmother’s here…

The grievance in his heart burst forth all at once, and Chen Chougua, not even watching where he stepped, ran straight toward the torches, shouting all the way, “Grandmother! Grandmother! Grand—”

From the other side, a familiar voice — one he’d dreamed of a thousand times over — answered him at once.

“Yes! Yes! Grandmother’s here… Grandmother’s here!”

“Grandmother!”

“Yes!”

“Grandmother~!”

“Grandmother’s here!”

“Grandmother… Grandmother!”

“You wretched children! Watch where you’re going! What are you shouting for! You’re not dead yet, be careful you don’t fall and break something…”

Before the Old Madam could even finish scolding them, two of them had already tripped and fallen nearby.

Before she could even start scolding them for that, three more figures came rushing over like a gust of wind, followed by a woman crying and calling out, “You said you’d wait for me, and the three of you great fools just ran off? You said you’d wait for me… I can’t see a thing, Grandmother, Grandmother… I’m home, it’s me, Ding Xiang, Grandmother…”

Chen Dazhong rushed up to the Old Madam with tears of joy streaming down his face, and in that instant found himself gently shaken by this now-wealthy old woman. He hesitated, studying her face — yes, no mistake, it was Grandmother!

He continued crying, mixing in complaints as he did. “Look at you, at your age, in such heavy snow, couldn’t you have waited indoors? Look at your hair… it’s all covered in snow…”

He reached out to brush the accumulated snow from her hair, only to find beneath it a full head of frost-white hair… Grandmother, her hair had gone entirely white!