Sister Zhou Shaojin naturally had no idea what had happened in the upper room.
The two of them returned to Wanxiangju happily.
Zhou Chujin rummaged through boxes and drawers looking for clothes for her sister.
Zhou Shaojin disagreed and said, "It's just a visitor. Sister, you don't have to treat it like a big enemy, right?"
"My sister is so beautiful, how can I not dress her up nicely?" Zhou Chujin was still in high spirits.
In Zhou Shaojin's opinion, her sister is truly beautiful because she has the beauty of autumn water and the figure of plum blossom. She blushed, pushed her sister and said, "Sister, you should also dress yourself up."
"Reverse?" Zhou Chujin was puzzled.
Daozhuo is a northern dialect.
"Oh, it means to dress up." Zhou Shaojin realized that he was speechless, and picked up a hairpin to cover it up, and asked with a smile, "Is this hairpin nice?"
Zhou Chujin saw that the gold hairpin was about three inches long, with three lilac flowers stacked on the head, and the stamens were inlaid with rubies the size of rice grains. Although it was not very precious, it was exquisitely made and quite lovely.
"Who gave this to you?" she asked curiously, "Why haven't I seen it before?"
Zhou Shaojin was stunned. He lowered his head to take a closer look and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
If she remembered correctly, this golden hairpin was given to her by Cheng Lu on her birthday last year.
Why did he take this golden hairpin when he could have taken anything else
She suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
Zhou Chujin glanced at her meaningfully and said, "You are still young, it's too early for you to wear this gold hairpin. You'd better wear some jewelry instead!"
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice: "I'll listen to you, sister." Then he immediately called Shi Xiang in and said, "Put this gold hairpin somewhere else. Remember to help me find it when you need to attend a social event or give a gift."
Shi Xiang didn't understand what was going on, so she nodded respectfully and said "yes", then retreated with the golden hairpin.
Zhou Chujin's face brightened up, and he smiled as he picked out a pair of ivory-carved jasmine headbands for Zhou Shaojin, a jacket with a crabapple-red, hibiscus, camellia, and gardenia pattern, and a Xiang skirt with a bamboo green background and dark green honeysuckle pattern embroidered on the hem.
Chun Wan took down her clothes to iron them, and Shi Xiang put away her jewelry.
Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin chatted for a while before going back to the house to rest.
Early the next morning, Zhou Shaojin combed her hair into a bun and changed into the clothes and jewelry that her sister had chosen for her.
Shi Xiang looked at Zhou Shaojin's clear eyes and rosy cheeks in the mirror and couldn't help but praise: "Young Miss has good taste! The second young lady looks not only pretty but also energetic after dressing up like this. The old lady will definitely be happy to see her."
Zhou Shaojin thought that she knew that the elderly liked festive colors, but she always thought that bright red and bright green were too tacky, so she would rather pretend not to know and just wear light willow, white, and lake green clothes. There were a few times when she had to meet guests and caused her grandmother to nag her, and she felt her face getting hot, so she stood up and said, "I'll go see how my sister is packing."
Wanxiangju used to be the study room of the old master of the fourth room. Because it was close to Jiashu Hall, when Cheng Gao and the others grew up and the Zhou sisters wanted to avoid suspicion with their cousins, Old Lady Guan placed them here. The small courtyard is a typical Jiangnan architecture, with small bridges and flowing water, winding paths, lush plants and flowers. Zhou Chujin gave the three best rooms in the south to Zhou Shaojin, and chose the three rooms in the east.
After walking around a ginkgo forest, you can see two tea trees as tall as the eaves. That is the east wing where Zhou Chujin lives.
Zhou Shaojin walked in briskly.
Zhou Chujin was having breakfast. Seeing her, he smiled and said, "You're here so early? Have you had breakfast yet? Do you want to order some more?" Then he instructed Dong Wan, "Ask the kitchen to add a few dishes for the second young lady!"
Zhou Shaojin was exempted from the morning and evening visits due to illness, so Zhou Chujin had not had breakfast with his sister these days.
Dong Wan left the hall with a smile, but Zhou Shaojin saw only a bowl of rice porridge and some ordinary side dishes on the table. Thinking of the newly-coming water celery and leeks that appeared on his table, he fell silent for a moment.
The family's financial situation had always been good, and their father loved them both. In addition to daily expenses, he would privately subsidize them two or three hundred taels of silver for watercolor every year. She had never paid attention to these things... Even after she got into trouble and her father no longer cared about her, her brother-in-law helped her to act as a matchmaker and arranged a marriage for her with the Lin family.
When her elder sister got married, she had a dowry from her biological mother, as well as dowries from her grandmother, aunt, and others, but she had nothing. After her elder sister and her brother-in-law got married, her elder sister gave her half of her dowry. Although her brother-in-law was the eldest son of the Liao family, his wealth was from the public. She lived on the meager monthly allowance and salary from the public, and didn't have much money for herself. She borrowed 1,000 taels of silver from her peers to collect 3,000 taels of silver, which she gave to her as a dowry... Although Lin Shisheng later asked her brother-in-law to do a business and made up the money, she still owed her elder sister and brother-in-law a huge favor...
Her eyes were wet, and she called Dong Wan: "No need, just give me half a bowl of porridge."
Dongwan is in a dilemma.
Zhou Chujin has always known that her sister is very sensitive. Knowing that she was overthinking again, she couldn't help but ask Zhou Shaojin with a smile: "What are you thinking about? I'm shy about eating this because there's no such fresh food on grandma's table. But you're different - you're sick and have no appetite. It's not too much to eat some fresh vegetarian food to nourish your body!"
Zhou Shaojin no longer believed it.
She opened her eyes wide and looked at her sister with a serious expression, saying, "I am cured. I will eat whatever my sister eats!"
Zhou Chujin wanted to persuade her, but then he thought that his sister would be getting married in two years, and naturally no one would find fault with her at home. But it would be better if she paid more attention to these details after marriage, so that others would not find fault with her. Zhu was about to say something, but he could not help but tell Dong Wan: "Ask the kitchen to make a bowl of mixed tofu for the second young lady."
Dong Wan walked out of the hall with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin thanked his sister with a smile and sat down at the round table.
After breakfast, when Zhou Chujin had washed and dressed, she took Zhou Shaojin's hand as usual and prepared to go to Old Lady Guan together.
Zhou Shaojin felt a little strange.
She was already accustomed to the graceful and dignified Zhou Chujin, and looking at her sister's slightly immature face, who was only eighteen years old, she really couldn't feel awe and submission.
Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath, then reached out and held his sister's hand, and went to Jiashu Hall shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Chujin.
As long as the weather is good, Mrs. Guan will take a few steps in the yard after getting up in the morning.
When they arrived, Old Madam Guan had just returned from a walk and was bathing and changing her clothes. She seemed to be setting up breakfast in the hall with a few maids.
Zhou Chujin stepped forward to help.
Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a while.
It seemed like she had never set the table for anyone before... This thought flashed through her mind, and she followed obediently, helping her grandmother set the table.
The old lady came out of the inner room and was very happy to see the sisters. She asked the same question as Zhou Shaojin: "Why did you come so early? Have you had breakfast?" She also asked Zhou Shaojin, "Judging from your complexion, your illness should have improved a lot, right?"
"Thank you for your concern, grandma." Zhou Shaojin smiled and walked forward to support his grandmother, saying, "I'm almost well now, so I thought of coming to greet you. My sister and I came a little early and have already had breakfast."
Old Mrs. Guan smiled and nodded, then went into the side room that was set up as a small Buddhist temple.
Zhou Shaojin stepped forward skillfully to help his grandmother pinch incense.
Old Madam Guan was very surprised and said with a smile: "I didn't expect our Shao Jin to know these!"
Zhou Shaojin was also a little absent-minded.
In her memory, she would burn three incense sticks to the Buddha every morning when she woke up... Those habits seemed to have been engraved in her bones and would always be revealed inadvertently.
Just like when she sees Cheng Yi, she will think of his depressed and unhappy appearance in adulthood, and when she sees her sister, she will always think of her majestic appearance in middle age...
She shook her head and put these thoughts behind her. After Mrs. Guan kowtowed, she helped her stand up and lit incense and candles for her.
Old Lady Guan took Zhou Shaojin out of the small Buddhist hall.
Breakfast was ready, and Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin accompanied Old Lady Guan to eat a piece of rice cake.
Everyone moved to the banquet room and sat down.
Old Lady Guan said to Zhou Shaojin, "It will be the Buddha's Bathing Festival in a few days. Please help me copy a few pages of scriptures and present them to the Bodhisattva!"
Although the old lady was born in a family of officials, she was born in Jingzhou Prefecture in Jiangbei, and she didn't know many words. She was good at reading the account books in the inner house, but it was a bit difficult for her to do other things. Although Mrs. Miao was good at calligraphy and painting, she was in charge of the household affairs of the mansion, and there were too many trivial matters, and she also had to take care of the children, so she couldn't spare the time. Things like copying scriptures usually fell on Zhou Chujin. However, this was the first time that the old lady asked Zhou Shaojin to help copy scriptures.
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin were both very surprised.
Old Madam Guan smiled and said, "There are many things to do at home. Chu Jin, you have to help your aunt with more responsibilities. The matter of copying the scriptures can be left to Shao Jin."
Zhou Shaojin suddenly realized.
After the Buddha Bathing Festival on April 8th, it was the birthday of the second ancestor Cheng Xu, and then they had to start preparing for the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhou Chujin was a girl waiting to get married, and it was a good opportunity for her to learn how to be a housekeeper, so naturally she had no free time.
Zhou Chujin also understood.
She blushed and lowered her eyelids.
Zhou Shaojin chuckled and responded loudly, "Okay."
All the servants in the room looked at Zhou Chujin and smiled kindly.
Mrs. Miao came. She talked to Mrs. Guan about entertaining Mrs. Wu. Just after a few words, brothers Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi came over to greet the old lady.
Mrs. Guan thought for a moment and said to the Zhou sisters with a smile, "Go to the inner room and wait for me."
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin thought that Old Lady Guan had something to say in private to Mrs. Mian and her son, so they went to the inner room with a smile.
Soon, light laughter was heard from the banquet room, and words like "cousin" and "cousin" could be faintly heard.
Zhou Chujin smiled and reminded Zhou Shaojin: "Cousin Gao has asked you several times. If you have the chance to meet cousin Gao, remember to thank him."
Zhou Shaojin agreed.
About a quarter of an hour later, Old Lady Guan returned to the inner room surrounded by Si'er and others.
※
Some readers asked me about the issue of the Cheng family’s legitimate and illegitimate children. Let me explain it here.
After several generations of prosperity, the five branches of the Cheng family are now all legitimate children, but several generations ago, the eldest, second and third branches had the same father, with the third branch being a illegitimate child; the fourth and fifth branches had the same father, with the fifth branch being a illegitimate child.
These will be used in subsequent plots, so they are specially noted in the "Character List". Please don't misunderstand.
In addition: The eldest son’s house should also have a big eldest son’s house and a small eldest son’s house, that is, the two brothers Cheng Xun and Cheng Shao should have their own houses, but there are many characters in this book, and I am afraid that everyone will be confused, so I will list these eldest son’s houses together.
※(To be continued)