The Zhou sisters naturally had no suspicions and chatted with the old lady, and the topic naturally turned to the matter of copying scriptures.
Old Lady Guan asked Si'er to bring a copy of the Lotus Sutra to Zhou Shaojin and asked, "Can you recognize the whole thing?"
Not only did he recognize them all, he could recite them by heart.
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
Old Madam Guan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Then you can help me copy the second volume! I will offer the first volume on the ninth day."
The ninth day refers to the ninth day of the first lunar month, which is the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
The women of the Cheng family usually go to Ganquan Temple to burn incense. Ganquan Temple is the dojo of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said "yes", and asked Mrs. Guan if she had copied the scriptures in the past: "Let me see how you copied them? I can copy them the same way."
He acts with unusual steadiness.
Old Lady Guan was a little relieved about Zhou Shaojin and asked Si'er to find the wasted scriptures. When the scriptures were found, she talked about copying scriptures again. The little maid came to report: "Mrs. Wu came with three young ladies."
Three ladies
Are they Wu Baozhang’s half-sisters Wu Baohua and Wu Baozhi
Zhou Shaojin was a little dazed.
As she recalled, after she and Wu Baozhang became more familiar with each other, Wu Baozhang had told her about the Wu family from time to time.
It is said that Wu Baozhang, like her, lost his mother when he was half a year old. The difference is that her father remarried when she was seven years old, while Wu Baozhang's father Wu Xiu remarried Guan, the sister of his colleague, less than 100 days after Wu Baozhang's biological mother died. Guan looked virtuous, but in fact she was sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside, sarcastic, narrow-minded, and stingy. She was dissatisfied with Wu Baozhang's biological mother Yin occupying the position of the first wife, and was even more unwilling to raise Wu Baozhang and his brother Wu Taicheng. She made things difficult for them everywhere. Wu Xiu had no choice but to let them live with their grandmother who was far away in Mianyang, Sichuan. Until Wu Baozhang's grandmother died, they had no one to rely on, and Guan had only two daughters. Guan, who returned to her hometown to observe the mourning period, was afraid of being discussed by the neighbors and carrying the reputation of "unvirtuous", and was also afraid that Wu Taicheng would inherit the family business and not treat her and her two daughters well. She had no choice but to bring Wu Baozhang and his sister to Jinling.
But even so, Wu Baozhang's stepmother treated Wu Taicheng too much, so that Wu Taicheng developed many bad habits.
Wu Baozhang cried as she spoke, "After all, I am a girl raised in seclusion. It is not easy for me to see my brother on a daily basis, let alone to persuade him to study hard and have a promising career in the government, so as to earn a future for himself and me..."
It was for these reasons that she felt pity for Wu Baozhang. Although she later realized that Wu Baozhang was not a simple person and that what he said might not be completely believed, she always made excuses for Wu Baozhang, thinking that Wu Taicheng was a flatterer and not a man who could achieve great things. Wu Baozhang was a person without support and could only fight for his own future. It was human nature that he used inferior means. Although she and Wu Baozhang were good friends, they were not as close as brothers, so she didn't have to care so much about Wu Baozhang... Even if Wu Baozhang and Cheng Lu were engaged, she thought that Wu Baozhang was a girl, and it was her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Could Wu Baozhang say "no"? She didn't think Wu Baozhang was wrong, but she was just angry at Cheng Lu. A seven-foot-tall man, he had no responsibility. Not only did he break his promises, but he was also indecisive and vague about her affairs, which made Wu Baozhang uneasy and made her suffer from criticism...
Zhou Shaojin followed his sister, one foot high and one foot low.
Old Mrs. Guan, who was walking in front, didn't notice it, but Zhou Chujin quickly discovered that something was wrong with his sister.
She took Zhou Shaojin's hand and squeezed it tightly.
Zhou Shaojin came back to his senses.
Zhou Chujin winked at her, indicating that she should just bear with it for now, deal with the current matter and then return to Wanxiangju.
Zhou Shaojin smiled shyly at his sister.
We have arrived at the Shijinxuan, the flower hall where the ladies from the fourth room receive guests.
Zhou Shaojin quickly calmed down his emotions, lowered his head and followed Mrs. Guan in.
It was late spring in March, the sun had already risen, and the flowers in the Shijin Pavilion were in full bloom, colorful and beautiful. The red-painted, ice-cracked windows around the flower hall were all opened. The fragrance of flowers and the warm breeze made people intoxicated without even drinking.
Zhou Shaojin immediately spotted the girl standing behind Mrs. Wu.
Just like the person in my memory, her thick black hair was tied into two spiral buns, she wore a gold hairpin with lilac flowers, and a Hangzhou silk jacket with a scarlet background and broken branch flowers. Pearls the size of lotus seeds hung from her ears, and a cinnabar mole the size of a rice grain between her eyebrows was so bright and unforgettable.
It's really her!
Wu Baozhang.
After a ten-year separation, they met again when she was twelve years old!
Zhou Shaojin only felt a piercing pain.
The past times seemed to come back to me, and the past pains came alive again.
She covered her chest, her mind was blank, watching the corners of her grandmother's and Mrs. Wu's mouths move up and down, like puppets, following her sister's kneeling and bowing, sitting quietly by the side, until Zhou Chujin pulled her sleeve, and the voices of her grandmother and Mrs. Wu buzzed into her ears: "... You know, we in Jiangbei are not like Jiangnan, we don't have so many rules. This is the first birthday banquet our master has encountered, and I don't know what to send - if it's expensive, I'm afraid that others will think we are flattering; if it's shabby, I'm afraid that others will think we are narrow-minded and have never seen the world. It's really not right, and our master was so worried that he didn't sleep all night. He got up and urged me to come to you to ask for advice, so as to avoid making a fool of himself at the birthday banquet."
It turned out that Mrs. Wu came here to celebrate the birthday of the second branch’s ancestor.
In the previous life, Mrs. Wu always called my grandmother "Aunt", and was very affectionate. Today, she calls my grandmother "Your Excellency". It turns out that Guan Shi had not yet gotten close to my grandmother at that time...
Zhou Shaojin was thinking blankly when someone kicked his foot hard.
She turned her head in shock and saw her sister's worried look.
Zhou Shaojin was shocked and realized his own gaffe.
She couldn't help but feel anxious.
At this time, she must keep calm. Otherwise, her sister would be so anxious that she would go crazy. And her grandmother, who kindly took her to meet guests and let her broaden her horizons, was so rude to others. How could her grandmother put her face
Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath and hurriedly sorted out his emotions. He heard his grandmother say to Mrs. Wu with a little smile, "I don't know what's going on outside. But according to the old rules of the Cheng family, each branch will send a birthday gift in the name of the head of the branch. Individuals should be more casual, while the whole family should be more serious. Then everyone will send their own gifts, which are even simpler. They are just some needles and thread, as well as paintings drawn by children and couplets written by hand. They are also considered birthday gifts..."
Mrs. Wu was very moved when she heard this and praised: "The Cheng family is indeed a century-old family with a long tradition of poetry and literature! The family is so prominent, but they live such a low-key life. No wonder people in Jinling City give a thumbs up and praise the Cheng family in Jiuru Lane. No wonder others think our Wu family is too small. You won't know until you compare them. Once you compare them, you will be shocked..."
She was of medium height, with a round figure and a very ordinary appearance, but her eyes were very sharp, as if they could see into your heart. But at this moment, her voice was neither too high nor too low, gentle and polite, with a hint of smile, like a spring breeze blowing on your face, making people feel very comfortable.
If you listen carefully, Wu Baozhang's tone and intonation are very similar to Mrs. Wu's.
Thinking of this person, Zhou Shaojin's heart churned like boiling water, and it took a long time for him to calm down.
Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Guan had finished their conversation. Mrs. Wu was suggesting that they go see the three-color peony in Mrs. Guan's room: "I heard that it was given by Master Cheng. Master Cheng is really filial! I don't know where he got such a rare thing. But this is also your blessing. I have never seen three colors of flowers blooming on a tree since I was a child."
When she heard others praising her eldest son, Mrs. Guan could no longer treat him in a polite but somewhat distant manner as she did to other guests who came to visit her with a purpose.
She laughed and was caressed by Zhou Chujinxu, while she took Madam Wu to the waterside pavilion where tricolor peonies were placed.
Seeing this, Wu Baozhang stepped forward to help Mrs. Wu.
Mrs. Wu quickly stepped forward and stood with Mrs. Guan, leaving Wu Baozhang behind. Mrs. Wu's biological daughter, Wu Baohua, did not even look at Wu Baozhang, but walked up to her mother's arm slowly, and followed Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Guan, one on each side, with Zhou Chujin.
Mrs. Wu seemed unaware of what had happened. She smiled and talked to Old Lady Guan about the new opera troupe in Jinling City, the Huilan Troupe.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Wu Baozhang's face, and she glanced at Zhou Shaojin quickly.
Zhou Shaojin looked pale and absent-minded, as if he didn't notice what was happening here at all.
She couldn't help but let out a long sigh, feeling a little relieved. When she looked up, she saw Wu Baozhi looking at Zhou Shaojin with curiosity.
Wu Baozhang's heart moved.
She had inquired before coming. Although the fourth branch of the Cheng family had two young masters and two young ladies, the two young ladies were surnamed Zhou, but they were cousins of the Cheng family. In particular, the second young lady of the Zhou family was born to the fourth branch's son-in-law and had no blood relationship with the Cheng family.
She just didn't expect the second daughter of the Zhou family to be so beautiful. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and her every move revealed a delicate and gentle temperament, like the white mountain cherry blossoms, blooming tenderly on the branches, as if she would float away with the wind if you weren't careful, making people breathe more lightly when facing her.
Not to mention Wu Baozhi, who was raised in seclusion, even for her, it was the first time she had seen a girl like this. That look and that figure, no matter how you looked at it, there was nothing unrefined and beautiful about her. No wonder Wu Baozhi was interested in Miss Zhou Er!
As Wu Baozhang thought about it, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
She paused, then walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Shaojin.
"Second Miss," Wu Baozhang smiled softly and said, "Are you feeling unwell? I see your face is very pale. Do you want me to let the old lady know and find an excuse to let you rest?"
Zhou Shaojin felt disgusted when he looked at her and didn't want to talk to her any more.
Although it was a bit rude to do so, whenever she thought about how she had followed the rules all her life in her previous life and ended up like that, she felt a sense of relief and joy in doing whatever she wanted.
※
It seems that I still can't come up with an original idea - I wanted to separate the preface and the main text, but the order of the article was completely messed up. Fortunately, everyone told me in time, so I deleted the text and updated it again, and it finally became normal.
Because I moved to a new house, which is far from my workplace and requires half an hour's drive, and there is no external network, so it is not as convenient as before. The update can only be set at 8 o'clock every night. If there are special circumstances, I will notify everyone in time.
O(∩_∩)O~
That’s all for today, see you tomorrow at 8pm!
※(To be continued)