A Chun pondered Shen Weizhen’s words carefully.
Was he saying that one should have ambition, not let others bully them, and not embarrass him?
Scholars were truly a headache. Her elder brother was undeniably handsome, yet his words were circuitous and convoluted, twisting like nine bends and eighteen turns.
If only his words could be as straightforward as his good looks.
No wonder Shen Shiru said it was fine not to study too much—too much learning brought too many worries.
Now it seemed that studying also brought worries to others.
A Chun sighed worriedly, lowering her head to look at the rough silk thread.
This was silk thread produced in Liaodong, uniquely shimmering with a faint gem-like green hue. It was expensive and specifically used for embroidery. Accustomed to rough work, her hands were calloused, and she had already frayed the silk thread.
The Qixi Festival was approaching.
Nanwuzhou had many festivals and did not celebrate Qixi with much fanfare. In A Chun’s memory, during the four or five days around Qixi, one only needed to go to the streets to watch the lantern displays and buy some snacks. Who would have thought that Jingcheng had so many rules?
Setting aside other matters, within the mansion alone, preparations had begun at the start of the month. A colorful tower was to be built by the lotus pond, called the "Qiqiao Tower." On the evenings of the sixth and seventh days of the lunar month, offerings such as carved melons, wine and roasted meats, needles and thread, brushes and inkstones would be placed beneath the Qiqiao Tower, praying for dexterity, wisdom, and intelligence.
A Chun did not need to help build the Qiqiao Tower, but on the night of Qixi, she was also expected to offer her own embroidery.
The last time she had held a needle and thread was to mend a tear in her own skirt.
Qiu Shuang was equally astonished, never expecting that the young lady from the branch family did not know needlework.
Forget embroidery—A Chun couldn’t even sew a straight stitch. Her stitches were crooked and uneven, like a scar.
Even with Qiu Shuang’s many skills, this was beyond her. A Chun’s ten fingers, including her palms, bore calluses from rough work, which couldn’t be softened overnight. Yet embroidery was delicate work, and these calluses would snag and fray the silk thread. Even if she managed to embroider something, it wouldn’t look pleasing.
In the end, they came up with a solution: find some beautiful fabric, and she only needed to sew a sachet to offer.
“It’s mostly about the gesture, just to mark the occasion,” Qiu Shuang said. “It wouldn’t do for everyone else to make something while we don’t.”
A Chun agreed.
The mansion had dedicated embroiderers. With only a few days left, A Chun went to seek their advice every day, not aiming for anything outstanding or even average—just hoping for neat stitches.
But this also cost money.
Nowadays, A Chun’s monthly allowance was the same as the other young ladies: four taels per month. The Old Ancestor, knowing she had worked hard without savings, occasionally gave her extra rewards. Shen Zongshu, understanding her younger sister’s situation—newly arrived and unfamiliar with everything—would also send A Chun an extra portion when her maids went to buy cosmetics.
A Chun dared not spend recklessly. Aside from daily expenses and tips, she saved everything. She cherished materials greatly and would never discard a piece of practice fabric until there was no space left to stitch on it.
With less than four days until Qixi, A Chun practiced even more diligently. The square practice cloth with needles pinned to it never left her side. Whenever she had a moment, she would sit down to practice sewing and embroidery.
Even while paying respects to the Old Ancestor, A Chun’s thoughts lingered on it.
After drinking tea and chatting, the Old Ancestor smiled and said that Shen Weizhen had just returned from the academy and brought some small Qixi Festival trinkets for his younger sisters, allowing them to choose what they liked.
A Chun guessed they were likely festive toys, such as ducks or mandarin ducks made of yellow wax, or grain boards and carved melons. Shen Shiru used to buy these too, along with "Mohele" figurines, kept in red gauze cages.
Unexpectedly, they turned out to be hairpins and hair ornaments, mostly made of gold inlaid with pearls and jade—eight pieces in total. It seemed the number had been calculated in advance, with A Chun included, making four sisters in the household, each to choose two.
The most eye-catching was a camellia gold hairpin. The camellia petals were crafted from pink tourmaline, and the stamens were made of gold wire inlaid with yellow gemstones, exquisitely beautiful.
The eyes of the young girls were all fixed on it, and A Chun was no exception.
It was too beautiful.
Her name was Camellia, and her hometown, Nanwuzhou, was abundant with camellias, so she held a special affection for them.
The fifth young lady, Shen Xiangmei, exclaimed in admiration, her envy palpable: "What a beautiful camellia gold hairpin."
The Old Ancestor spoke: "In the past, we followed the order of seniority, but since A Chun is new to the household, I’ll make an exception this time and let her choose first."
A Chun modestly declined, saying they should still follow the order of seniority and let the third young lady, Shen Zongshu, choose first. Shen Zongshu naturally also insisted on yielding, but in the end, the Old Ancestor made the final decision: A Chun would choose first, and the others would follow.
Shen Linying, who was last in line, didn’t mind. After all, she was the youngest and had always chosen last in the past. Besides, whatever Shen Weizhen sent was always of high quality, so any choice would be good.
Shen Zongshu was similarly indifferent. She had a steady temperament and was deeply cherished by her parents, having been taught since childhood to respect and care for her sisters.
Only Shen Xiangmei couldn’t help herself: "Cousin Jinghui, the Old Ancestor has shown such kindness. Look how beautiful that camellia gold hairpin is—it’s specially reserved for you. You should accept it."
The Old Ancestor sighed inwardly.
She knew that these girls were of similar ages and still young, so it was normal for them to compete over hair ornaments and clothes. But if one truly liked something, she should express her desire openly and generously. The Old Ancestor would have admired a girl who spoke her mind frankly, but speaking with such thinly veiled envy was not the behavior befitting a young lady of good breeding.
Regardless of whether A Chun wanted the camellia gold hairpin or not, once Shen Xiangmei said those words, even if she had wanted it, given her temperament, she would never take it.
Sure enough, A Chun, who chose first, did not take the camellia gold hairpin. Instead, she selected two butterfly hairpins.
Shen Zongshu also did not take it.
In the end, the camellia gold hairpin ended up in Shen Xiangmei’s hands.
She was overjoyed, admiring it from every angle. The other young girls showed no reaction, but the Old Ancestor looked at Shen Zongshu and thought, the girls still had much to learn.
It was just a hairpin, yet it had made Shen Xiangmei act this way. If they encountered something even better in the future, would she still compete with her sisters?
A Chun cherished the pair of butterfly hairpins in her hands.
To her, anything she received was precious. She was not a legitimate daughter of the household to begin with, and she already felt fortunate enough.
Thus, she pondered for a long time how to repay Shen Weizhen.
Coincidentally, the Qixi Festival was approaching. On that night, the sachets offered in worship could be taken down and gifted to others.
Shen Zongshu was already betrothed and would send a servant to deliver her sachet to her future husband after the offering. Shen Xiangmei and Shen Linying both had brothers, so naturally, they would gift theirs to them.
A Chun thought, her sachet could be given to Shen Weizhen.
To repay him for helping her out of a difficult situation last time and for gifting the gold hairpins this time.
With this intention in mind, A Chun worked even harder.
She worked during the day and at night, and by the sixth day of the lunar month, she had indeed sewn a proper-looking sachet. Recalling the fragrance she had smelled when she bumped into her elder brother that day, she sent a servant to buy spices and blended them one by one.
A Chun had a keen sense of smell. Once she had smelled a fragrance, she could recreate it exactly, without the slightest deviation.
This was something she had learned while working at the spice shop.
On the night of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a family banquet was held in the pavilion at the center of the lotus pond. This time, everyone was present, with men and women seated separately. The silk curtains beneath the pavilion fluttered in the breeze, and the evening wind carried the fragrance of lotus blossoms.
Shen Xiangmei and Shen Linying were chatting together, while Shen Zongshu was learning household management from Madam Li and was not present for the moment.
A Chun only listened as Shen Xiangmei and Shen Linying talked. She didn’t know many people in the capital and couldn’t find a way to join the conversation, so she quietly peeled lotus seeds, one after another, carefully removing the bitter sprouts and placing them on a clean white jade plate.
When Shen Weizhen arrived, this was the scene he saw.
Amidst the laughter and chatter, only A Chun, dressed in a lake-green skirt, was slowly peeling lotus seeds. A green silk shawl was draped over her arm, and her hands were slender and long, with faint scars still visible on the backs. After being cared for in the manor for some time, her skin had grown fairer than when she first arrived, like a peony branch gradually shedding its woody layer from the bottom up, sprouting tender green shoots—delicate and graceful.
On her slender wrists, she wore a pair of clear-water green jade bracelets that swayed gently, yet they could not match the glow of her skin.
Behind her was the lotus pond on a summer night, filled with blooming lotuses. She resembled a lotus on land.
As he paused, A Chun noticed him first.
She exclaimed with delight, "Bro… Young Master!"
A single form of address had flustered her so.
Shen Weizhen nodded. With everyone present, he couldn’t ignore her, so he walked to her side and glanced at the lotus seeds. "Do you like eating lotus seeds?"
"They’re for Old Ancestor," A Chun explained. "She said she’s been feeling parched these past few days and hasn’t been sleeping well, likely due to some internal heat. I heard from the kitchen maids that lotus seeds are the best for clearing heart fire, so I thought I’d peel some for her."
A Chun had peeled these two lotus seed pods with great care, leaving the seeds perfectly intact and beautiful.
Shen Weizhen glanced at them. "Since you know lotus seeds clear heat, how is it you don’t know that the very lotus seed sprouts you removed are the most effective for reducing fire?"
"Ah? I thought the sprouts were bitter, and Old Ancestor doesn’t like bitter things—"
"It’s good that you care about Old Ancestor’s health, but her meals and daily needs are attended to by the servants. Your thoughtfulness is enough," Shen Weizhen said. "No need to peel them anymore. You can eat them yourself."
Before he could finish, A Chun lifted the white porcelain plate and offered it to him. "Then, would Young Master like some?"
"I’m no longer a child. If I want lotus seeds, I don’t need someone else to peel them for me," Shen Weizhen said coolly. "And don’t call me ‘Young Master’ from now on. I don’t have time to explain to others—call me ‘Brother’."
A Chun obediently lowered her head. "Brother."
As she bowed her head, Shen Weizhen noticed the two butterfly hairpins in her hair.
He asked, "Don’t you like camellias?"
The question was odd, and A Chun was momentarily taken aback. "I like them very much—why do you ask, Brother?"
Shen Weizhen said it was nothing and turned to leave.
During the banquet, A Chun noticed Shen Xiangmei wearing the golden camellia hairpin, which shimmered brilliantly in the flickering candlelight.
Suddenly, it occurred to A Chun.
Could it be that this golden camellia hairpin was something Shen Weizhen had intended to give her?
No, that couldn’t be. How would Shen Weizhen know she liked camellias? He had said he didn’t like her as a sister. Moreover, according to Old Ancestor, when distributing gifts among the sisters, it had always been done in order of age.
How could he have been sure that she would be the first to choose?
Lost in thought, A Chun couldn’t help but glance a few more times at the golden camellia hairpin in Shen Xiangmei’s hair.
Shen Xiangmei noticed and grew even more pleased with herself.
She had always known that A Chun, coming from a remote and impoverished village, might not recognize genuine treasures. To leave such fine things untouched would be a waste—though the two butterfly hairpins were beautiful, they were ultimately not as exquisite as this camellia gold hairpin.
After all, in Jingcheng, camellias were quite valuable, extremely difficult to care for, delicate and precious, and rather rare.
Now, seeing her frequently glance at the camellia gold hairpin in her hair, could it be that she regretted her choice?
But A Chun wasn’t thinking about these things. She quietly made it through the family banquet and then went to the kitchen to seek advice from an elderly matron on how to make lotus seed heart tea.
The next day, as A Chun was washing up, she heard someone calling outside.
"Sister Qiu Shuang," Changdeng said, "the eldest young master has sent someone to deliver something for the young lady."
A Chun heard it too and leaned out. "What is it?"
Changdeng replied, "It’s a rosewood box, miss."
As she was responsible for relaying messages between the inner and outer courtyards, she couldn’t enter the young lady’s room and could only wait by the door. Qiu Shuang went out to retrieve the box and placed it on the table.
A Chun opened it and exclaimed, "Ah!"
Inside was a filigree gold hairpin inlaid with gems—a camellia flower made of gold threads and pigeon’s blood rubies, with three tassels of pearls and red tourmaline beads hanging below. The gold threads were as fine as hair, tightly woven, and such a large pigeon’s blood ruby was even rarer, astonishing even Qiu Shuang, who had seen many fine things.
The rosewood box had another layer. Gently opening it, she found a pair of bracelets lying quietly inside—vibrant green and translucent as ice. A Chun didn’t understand jadeite, but she found them extremely beautiful.
Qiu Shuang gasped, "Such fine jadeite—I’ve only seen it a few times at Old Ancestor’s place."
Shen Weizhen hadn’t asked the messenger to convey any extra words, only saying it was for her, without giving a reason.
A Chun stepped out of the room and called loudly to Changdeng, "Where is the person who delivered this?"
"They just left," Changdeng said. "What’s the matter, miss?"
"Which way did they go?"
Changdeng pointed in a direction. "That way, I think."
A Chun lifted her skirt and ran out.
Qiu Shuang felt her vision darken. "Miss, mind your manners!!"
But A Chun paid no attention to manners.
For some reason, she naturally felt a closeness to Shen Weizhen—even though his coldness upon meeting had frightened her, she couldn’t help wanting to be near him.
She ran so fast that she startled the maids sweeping the courtyard. Just as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she spotted the maid who hadn’t gone far yet. A Chun stopped her and asked directly, "Where is the eldest young master now?"
The maid, Helu, was taken aback. After a moment’s pause, she recognized her as the newly arrived cousin and replied, "The eldest young master is on his way to pay respects to Old Ancestor and then will go to the academy to study…"
A Chun waited for Shen Weizhen at the entrance of Renshoutang.
Shen Weizhen had already paid his respects and was instructing a servant to fetch his horse when he noticed A Chun standing by the courtyard gate. He was taken aback, then frowned deeply.
A Chun approached him. "Brother."
"Hmm," Shen Weizhen had matters to attend to and didn’t wait for her to speak further. He clarified first, "The things I sent you this morning are to make up for what you missed. As an elder brother, I give some jewelry to my younger sisters when they come of age. Zong Shu and the others all received theirs."
A Chun froze.
So yesterday, she had indeed overthought things.
Her face flushed with warmth, but she still bowed politely. "Thank you, brother."
Shen Weizhen glanced behind her. "Why is no one with you? Where is Qiu Shuang?"
A Chun’s face turned even redder. "I was worried you had already left for the academy and I wouldn’t get to see you, so I ran out…"
She regretted it now.
Shen Weizhen was strict and proper—he would surely think her uncouth now.
Qiu Shuang had already told her that a young lady of good family must not run.
Shen Weizhen didn’t scold her but asked, "Do you have something urgent to discuss with me?"
"Mm," A Chun quickly retrieved a sachet from her sleeve, lifted it, and handed it to Shen Weizhen. "This is for you, brother."
Shen Weizhen recognized it.
On the Qixi Festival night, beneath Qiqiao Tower, men offered inkstones, while women offered embroidered works.
Yesterday, when placing the inkstone under the moonlight, among several delicate embroidered handkerchiefs and sachets, Shen Weizhen had spotted this plain, unadorned sachet at a glance. At the time, he thought, it must be hers.
Indeed.
He did not accept it. "I have already said, those were merely gifts to make up for your coming-of-age ceremony—not special exceptions, nor meant to please you. There is no need for you to return the gesture."
A Chun widened her eyes in surprise.
Shen Weizhen did not wish to have too much contact with her.
Now that the matter was laid bare, it would be more convenient.
He knew she was not foolish.
"I know, brother," A Chun said. "Since I entered the household, you have shown me much care, often gifting me fabrics and jewelry. I am deeply grateful but unsure how to repay you. I have nothing else of value to offer, unable to repay your kindness—only this sachet is somewhat presentable."
She lowered her head, thought for a moment, then looked up. "Brother, I come from the countryside, with little literacy and no skill in sweet words. You say the hairpins and bracelets you gave me were not special exceptions, nor meant to please me, but when I give you this sachet, it truly is because I want to make you happy."