“It’s you!” Zhou Shaojin smiled. “I apologize—I’m not very good at remembering people…”
The young lady laughed and explained for her: “I know, Eldest Miss Wu wronged you… You couldn’t pay attention to other things at the time…” She asked, “Who did you come with? I came with my grandmother. My grandfather was once a student of the Gu family. And you?”
Zhou Shaojin briefly explained her situation.
Someone called out: “Second Miss Zhou!”
Zhou Shaojin turned around and saw Wu Baozhang walking toward her.
Miss Sun quickly lowered her head, clearly trying to avoid Wu Baozhang.
Wu Baozhang’s attention was entirely focused on Zhou Shaojin and didn’t notice Miss Sun.
“Second Miss Zhou.” She smiled and curtsied to Zhou Shaojin, saying: “What happened last time was truly my fault. I was catching shadows and speaking carelessly. Please don’t take it to heart. You’re the first person I met after coming to Jinling City. I hope we can still be good friends like before. Can you forgive me?”
Her tone was very sincere.
Zhou Shaojin noticed that everyone around them was listening intently.
She couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
So when deception didn’t work, she changed tactics and pretended to feel guilty?
Regardless of whether Wu Baozhang’s words were true or false, if she rejected Wu Baozhang’s apology in this situation, it would inevitably make her seem unforgiving and petty.
If they were competing in magnanimity, then let’s see who was more magnanimous!
Zhou Shaojin simply smiled and said: “Eldest Miss Wu, you’re making too much of this! I never blamed you, so how can we talk about forgiveness? What’s past is past. Please don’t dwell on it, Eldest Miss Wu. Every day I do nothing but attend classes, copy sutras, and do needlework. When Eldest Miss Wu has time, feel free to visit my home. I would very much welcome Eldest Miss Wu as a guest.”
“That’s wonderful!” Wu Baozhang breathed a long sigh of relief, looking as if a weight had finally been lifted from her heart. She smiled and said: “I was worried you were still blaming me. Now it seems I was overthinking.” As she spoke, she stepped forward, wanting to link arms with Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin acted as if she hadn’t noticed, turned around and linked arms with Miss Sun instead, smiling: “Miss Sun, this is the daughter of Magistrate Wu, the parent official of Jinling Prefecture. You met when the Second Branch’s Old Ancestress celebrated her birthday last time. Do you remember?”
Fine whispers arose from the surroundings.
Miss Sun reluctantly greeted Wu Baozhang.
Wu Baozhang was very enthusiastic, asking about their situations since they last met.
Miss Sun stammered a few responses, then cast a pleading look toward Zhou Shaojin.
Just as Zhou Shaojin was about to rescue Miss Sun, the crowd at Sixteenth Miss Gu’s door suddenly parted like water swept by a flood. The Gu family’s Grand Madam emerged accompanied by Sixteenth Miss Gu’s in-laws.
Miss Sun whispered in Zhou Shaojin’s ear: “My grandmother forbids me from associating with the Wu family.”
Zhou Shaojin was surprised.
Miss Sun had already changed the subject, pointing toward Sixteenth Miss Gu’s boudoir: “Second Miss, look.”
Zhou Shaojin looked over.
In the sweltering heat, the woman accompanied by the Gu family’s Grand Madam wore the attire of a third-rank lady. Her hairpins and ornaments glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.
For weddings and funerals, inviting the most prestigious person in the family to hold up appearances was quite normal!
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t see anything unusual.
Miss Sun was already sighing: “The young ladies of the Gu family all marry very well. When Fourteenth Miss married last time, although the person who came to insert the hairpin didn’t have an official rank, she wore a string of eighteen mutton-fat jade beads. My grandmother said those were heirloom antiques worth a fortune…”
Zhou Shaojin laughed and whispered: “Don’t worry, you’ll have that too.”
Miss Sun blushed with embarrassment.
Wu Baozhang on the side teased Miss Sun: “So Miss Sun is thinking about getting married?”
Upon hearing this, Miss Sun’s face turned red then pale. After a long moment she said: “Eldest Miss Wu is quite strange. For a young lady to say such things to me… I truly don’t know how to respond!”
Wu Baozhang’s face flushed bright red.
She had grown up in the countryside where young ladies often joked like this with each other…
“I, I was just joking with you!” Wu Baozhang’s forehead broke out in sweat.
The same words—when Zhou Shaojin said them, it was acceptable, but when she said them, it wasn’t.
That time at the Cheng family, it hadn’t been like this.
Being clever, she naturally understood the reason.
Her stepmother had punished her with confinement, giving her a thick Buddhist sutra to copy. Under the pretext of having her reflect and purify her heart, like in a temple, she was given only two vegetarian meals daily with no food after noon. She had fainted from hunger several times. If her brother hadn’t secretly brought her food, whether she could have lived to see her father was questionable. And the reason her father let her out to socialize with her stepmother was merely to marry her to someone who could help his official career… She was different from these young ladies present. When they made mistakes, someone would be tolerant, but when she made mistakes, she had only a dead end!
“Miss Sun.” Wu Baozhang couldn’t help but grasp Miss Sun’s arm. “I, I truly didn’t mean it…” Her eyes involuntarily revealed a pleading look.
Miss Sun wasn’t the type of unkind girl. Seeing Wu Baozhang’s posture so humble, she became somewhat flustered and quickly said: “Don’t—I don’t blame you…”
Wu Baozhang breathed a sigh of relief.
But Zhou Shaojin felt vaguely uneasy.
The Wu Baozhang who reappeared after being confined by Madam Wu had lost that inherent pride and arrogance compared to her previous life, becoming even more servile instead!
When a person has no self-respect left, they’re capable of doing anything.
Someone nearby let out a snickering laugh.
Wu Baozhang’s expression changed drastically as she looked in the direction of the sound.
Zhou Shaojin also looked over curiously.