She knew people would criticize her like this.
Madam Zhou’s smile grew a bit stiff.
“That’s not true. You all know how it is—Old Master Chen has just gotten better, and she simply can’t leave him unattended,” she said hastily.
“Then when she gets back, you absolutely must bring her over to my house,” the other woman said with a half-smile, refusing to let it go.
“Fine, as long as you don’t find her a bother,” Madam Zhou replied with a smile.
As they were chatting and laughing, a maid entered and knelt.
“Madam, the young lady has returned,” she said.
Madam Zhou’s face immediately froze, while the other woman was overjoyed.
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Quick, have her come in to meet us!”
This is a disaster—why did she have to come back now? And even if she did, why did this clueless maid have to announce it like that!
Madam Zhou was in a panic.
Doesn’t she know what a peculiar temperament this girl has? If she refuses to come and greet us, what then? Would they have to drag her in? That would be utterly humiliating!
“The young lady is coming over to greet Madam,” the maid said cheerfully, completely oblivious to Madam Zhou’s expression.
Madam Zhou’s expression did not relax—instead, it grew even more astonished.
What on earth is going on? What does she want?
The others, however, were far less concerned. The young wives and girls craned their necks to look outside, while the older ladies couldn’t resist their curiosity and sat up straighter.
Outside the door, a lady walked in slowly. Her clothes were dazzling, her movements graceful, and her face as delicate as porcelain. However, her expression was utterly calm, her eyes vacant and lifeless like withered wood.
Everyone quickly averted their gazes. The initial brilliance faded away completely, leaving only those slightly chilling eyes etched in their memories.
As expected, the lingering effects of her past foolishness—what a pity for such a beauty.
“Aunt,” Cheng Jiao-niang knelt and bowed in greeting.
Even her voice was unpleasant to the ear. The young ladies present exchanged glances, once again lamenting how unfortunate it was.
The older women, however, didn’t mind at all. Before the still-stunned Madam Zhou could say a word, one of them eagerly spoke up.
“Lady Cheng, I heard you cured the Chen family’s old master. Truly impressive!”
Madam Zhou gritted her teeth silently.
“Jiao Jiao, you must be tired. Go and rest for now; your health isn’t great either,” she hurriedly interjected.
Barely had the words left her mouth when she felt piercing stares coming from those around her.
“Come, come. Now that we’ve met, how could I, as an elder, not offer a token of greeting?” one of the women said with a smile, gesturing for Cheng Jiao-niang to come over while slipping a gold bracelet off her wrist.
Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t move, leaving the woman’s gesture hanging awkwardly in the air.
See? This girl doesn’t even know the most basic manners, Madam Zhou thought to herself in frustration.
“Lady Cheng, I heard you’re skilled at diagnosing illnesses. I wonder if I could ask for your help?” another woman directly inquired.
Madam Zhou froze, her breath caught. It wasn’t just this foolish girl who lacked decorum, apparently.
“Of course, I can,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, looking at the woman with a blank expression.
Madam Zhou was stunned.
She can?
Wasn’t the answer supposed to be no?
This was a response Madam Zhou had been hoping for, but not at this moment—especially not after she had just made excuses to decline on her behalf.
She doesn’t come to greet others when she’s supposed to, but shows up when she shouldn’t.
She doesn’t agree when she should, but agrees when she shouldn’t.
This girl—how could she be so troublesome? She must be doing this on purpose!
As night fell, Madam Zhou entered the room. Inside, Master Zhou was reclining against an armrest, dozing off. His face was flushed with the redness of intoxication, and two maids were busy massaging his legs and back. They quickly bowed as Madam Zhou entered.
The maid behind Madam Zhou gestured for them to leave, and the maids hurriedly withdrew.
Another maid placed a stack of invitation cards she was holding onto the ground. The sound of them landing made Master Zhou open his eyes. Sitting up, he looked tired, as though still recovering from his drunkenness.
A maid promptly handed him a warm towel, and he wiped his face.
“Shengtang’s family has extended an invitation for tomorrow. Take the children and pay them a visit,” Master Zhou said.
The New Year festivities were, after all, a festival. In the capital, navigating relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and officials was crucial. Who invited you? Who visited your home? Countless eyes were watching, judging future connections based on these interactions.
“We can’t go,” Madam Zhou said.
Master Zhou frowned.
“Take a look at this,” Madam Zhou said, pointing to the colorful invitation cards scattered on the floor.
Master Zhou looked a bit surprised.
“All of these?” he asked. “Places we haven’t visited yet?”
By this time of year, they would have usually finished most of their social visits.
“All because of that good niece of yours,” Madam Zhou said irritably.
Master Zhou looked at her in confusion.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked.
Wasn’t this exactly why they had invited the girl to stay with them? Firstly, it was perfectly reasonable to extend hospitality to a close relative. Secondly, it strengthened their ties with the Chen family. And thirdly, her miraculous treatments created opportunities to build more connections.
He wasn’t shy about it—truthfully, they were indeed relying on the girl’s reputation.
Master Zhou reached out and flipped through the invitation cards, noticing that several of them came from families they hadn’t interacted with during past New Year celebrations.
“Yes, she’s unwilling and refuses to treat people—it’s understandable. After all, she’s an unmarried young lady. We’re not a family in dire straits, so don’t worry about offending anyone. If she refuses to see everyone, it won’t come across as favoring one over another,” he said.
“She’s willing,” Madam Zhou replied.
“…If she’s unwilling, then so be it. After all, people are asking us for help, not the other way around. Wait, what?” Master Zhou stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at Madam Zhou.
“She told everyone today, in front of them, that she could treat illnesses,” Madam Zhou said irritably.
Master Zhou was momentarily stunned but quickly broke into a joyful smile.
“Isn’t that even better?” he said.
“Better? What’s so good about it?” Madam Zhou retorted irritably, her expression clouded. “She agreed so readily, but now I’ve become the villain. Didn’t you hear the sarcastic remarks people made as they left? They acted like I’d been the one preventing her from treating others all this time.”
Ah, so that’s what it was about. Women always fretted over such things, Master Zhou thought, laughing heartily.
“Don’t worry about it. Let them talk if they want. Soon enough, they’ll be the ones coming to you for favors,” he said cheerfully, feeling reinvigorated. He waved for more wine to be brought.
“Let’s hope so. As long as she doesn’t stir up more trouble for me,” Madam Zhou replied as she helped her husband arrange the table and pour the wine. “I’ve raised all these children, and though people say our family’s boys are unruly because we’re a family of warriors, not one of them has given me as much of a headache as she has. No wonder the Cheng family refused to take her in no matter what…”
The Cheng family refused to let her into their household…
At this point, Madam Zhou paused, as if reminded of an important thought.
“Do you think the Cheng family kept her fostered at a temple and wouldn’t let her into their home because they found her too troublesome?” she asked.
“The Cheng family?” Master Zhou scoffed, spitting on the ground. “They’re just a bunch of fools. What could they possibly see or understand? Back then, they forced my sister to her death. That simple-minded… child must surely resent them and would never willingly live in their home. Otherwise, why would she have deliberately hidden her trip to the capital from them? If the Cheng family knew it was the Chen family who invited her, I’d wager even Old Master Cheng would claw his way out of the grave to tag along.”
When it came to the Cheng family, Master Zhou made no effort to conceal his disdain.
“That’s true,” Madam Zhou nodded in agreement.
“Also, remember to remind that fool… that child,” Master Zhou said, “Let her know the humiliation her mother suffered back then, and the humiliation our family endured as well. And most importantly, if the old lady hadn’t been driven to her death by the Cheng family, she wouldn’t have passed away so early.”
In short, his message was clear: make sure the child knows who her true family is and who her enemies are.
“As for the Cheng family, she will never go back to them. In the future, she can marry into a good family in the capital and live a good life,” Master Zhou said.
“She can still marry?” Madam Zhou was momentarily stunned.
“Why wouldn’t she be able to? Even a blind or crippled person can get married. Besides, isn’t she doing well now?” Master Zhou said, rolling his eyes.
At this moment, the food and wine were brought in, and Madam Zhou waved her sleeve to pour the wine.
“I think… not marrying might be better,” she said with a slight smile.
