DBB – Chapter 29: Winter Delights
Concubine Yun had spent over a decade navigating the shifting tides of the inner courtyard, and she could see through things clearly. The young mistress and the Grand Madam were playing their roles—one the kind face, the other the stern one. It was evident that this matter was not open to negotiation.
But why this particular girl? Countless beautiful young women were of marriageable age, and just the mention of the Gu family of Shian would have many eagerly vying for the position. Why insist on her obscure niece?
No matter how she looked at it, the whole affair seemed strange.
Then again, it was not her place to question it. No matter the reason, this situation could only benefit her. She was out of favor, and life in the Ji household was far from easy. If she helped the young mistress arrange this match, the Grand Madam would surely reward her, and the Second Master would treat her with more kindness. And if she ever found herself in trouble in the future… the Gu family’s young mistress might just lend her a hand.
Standing up, Concubine Yun bowed respectfully. “Please rest assured, Grand Madam, Young Mistress. To enter the Gu family as a concubine is a great fortune for this child. If it pleases you, I will set out for Taihe County today.”
A sensible woman, Gu Jinchao thought approvingly.
Had she not feared that among the many servants making the journey, there might be someone loyal to Concubine Song who would tip her off, she would have preferred to go herself. However, with Mama Song accompanying the trip, everything should proceed without issue.
Old Madam Ji made her way to the reception hall of Shexian Pavilion.
More than a dozen estate stewards and shop managers were already gathered, each holding account books, rental agreements, or reports on land yields. Beside the Grand Madam stood Mr. Zeng, the accountant, who always carried an abacus at hand. If any steward reported unusual expenses, he could immediately verify the figures.
Seeing Gu Jinchao enter, Mr. Zeng greeted her with a smile.
Jinchao took a seat beside her grandmother, observing as she conducted business with clarity and precision. No matter how complex or thorny an issue was, her grandmother could instantly grasp the crux of the matter, setting the direction for the discussion. The senior stewards would then quickly come up with a plan.
She remembered how, as a child, she would sit on her grandmother’s lap, mischievously interrupting her work, even trying to snatch the accountant’s abacus to play with.
Mr. Zeng, a scholar who had once passed the county-level imperial exam but repeatedly failed the provincial exam, had eventually given up on officialdom. Instead, he became an accountant for the Ji family, earning several hundred taels a month. The abacus he carried was made of solid gold, yet when little Jinchao had dismantled it bead by bead to play with, he had merely smiled and patiently reassembled it afterward.
Once the business was concluded, the stewards withdrew, and Ji Yao arrived with Ji Yun, Ji Can, and Gu Jinrong to pay their respects.
The Grand Madam smiled at Gu Jinrong and asked, “What did you do with your cousins last night?”
Gu Jinrong chuckled wryly. “We played Go. Unfortunately, no one could best Second Cousin—his skill is truly remarkable!”
Ji Yao smiled modestly. “It was just luck.”
One of the senior stewards laughed and added, “Don’t be fooled by our Second Young Master’s mild demeanor—his mind is sharp, and his strategies run deep. Anyone who crosses him in secret is bound to suffer for it!”
He then recounted an incident from years ago when Ji Yao had managed the Ji family’s Hangzhou silk shop.
“At the time, the shop was located right across from a store that specialized in Shu brocade. Their manager thought our Second Young Master was young and easy to bully, so he repeatedly sent workers to lure customers away from our shop. But instead of getting angry, the Second Young Master quietly ordered our staff to buy up every last bit of Isatis root on the market and store it in our warehouse. We were all puzzled—until months later, when the price of Isatis root skyrocketed, and the Second Young Master still refused to sell.”
Gu Jinrong was puzzled. “What is Isatis root used for? Why stockpile it?”
Ji Yao explained with a smile, “Isatis root is a key ingredient for making blue dye. There’s a rare kind of Shu brocade, Lan Tai Jin, that requires it for its signature color. Since Sichuan doesn’t produce Isatis root, merchants traveling to Tongzhou to sell Shu brocade always need to purchase it there.”
The steward continued, “Exactly! When those merchants arrived, desperate for Isatis root, they discovered that the Second Young Master had it all. He agreed to sell—but only in exchange for Shu brocade of equal value. They had no choice but to comply, handing over all their brocade. Meanwhile, that rival shop found itself without any raw materials. Its manager was at his wit’s end and ultimately had to swallow his pride and beg the Second Young Master to sell him some brocade instead!”
Ji Can playfully patted Ji Yao’s arm and grinned. “I’d have found an easier way—those merchants already rely on our Ji family’s ships to transport their goods to Tongzhou. All Second Brother had to do was give a single order to our shipping overseers, and they’d have handed over the brocade willingly. Why go through all that trouble?”
Ji Yao thought for a moment and laughed. “You have a point!”
Everyone joined in the laughter.
The Grand Madam, pleased, said, “Yao’er is sharp—this suits him well. Tomorrow is your eldest nephew’s Zhuazhou1 (one-year-old birthday celebration). Why don’t you take your younger cousins to Baodi to pick out some gifts for him?”
Gu Jinchao saw Ji Yao’s smile fade slightly, his gaze lowering.
But after a brief pause, he nodded. “Baodi is a good choice—there’s a lantern festival opening at Yucheng Fang. It should be quite lively.”
She had no desire to put him in a difficult position, nor did she wish to go to Baodi at this time. She was still preoccupied with whether Concubine Yun would be able to complete her task successfully.
She turned to her grandmother and said, “It’s freezing outside, and a long journey would be exhausting for so many people. I’d much rather stay here with you. I want to spend more time with you, Grandmother.”
Madam Ji had hoped she would go out for a change of scenery, but seeing that she had no interest, she let it go.
By the time they returned to Xidong Pan, snow had begun to fall.
Madam Ji gazed out through the wooden lattice doors as the snowfall thickened. “It’s a good thing we didn’t go. If it keeps snowing like this, the carriages wouldn’t be able to return.”
Gu Jinchao, watching the fire crackling in the brazier, suddenly recalled how she used to make crab shell yellow pastries with Wansu back when they lived together. Their charcoal supply had been limited in those days, so baking pastries over the fire had been a way to both cook and stay warm.
She smiled and said, “Heavy snow has its benefits—it’s the perfect time for freshly baked pastries! How about I make some for you to try?”
Madam Ji raised a brow. “When did my Chao’er learn to do such things? You used to refuse to even step into the kitchen.”
Jinchao simply smiled and said nothing. She sent Qingpu to fetch some dough from the outer courtyard’s kitchen, then personally prepared the preserved vegetable filling in the small kitchen of Xidong Pan. After wrapping the pastries, she arranged them neatly on a fine porcelain plate and carried them to the warm chamber.
Old Madam Ji didn’t find her actions improper in the slightest. When Jinchao entered with the plate, she even helped lift the brazier lid.
Soon, the pastries were baking, and before long, a warm, enticing aroma began to fill the room.
Mama Song sniffed the air and sighed, ““Even I find the smell irresistible! Absolutely delicious!”
Warm laughter and the sweet scent of freshly baked pastries filled the winter air.
The maids and old servant women widened their eyes as they crowded around to watch. None of them were particularly skilled in the kitchen, and they had certainly never seen pastries being baked inside a warm chamber before—it was an amusing novelty.
Gu Jinchao, holding a pair of long jade bamboo chopsticks, lifted the brazier lid. Inside, the pastries had turned a perfect golden brown, the sesame seeds on top releasing their nutty fragrance. She carefully picked one up and placed it onto a plate, first offering it to Old Madam Ji. “Grandmother, have a taste and see how they turned out.”
She then distributed them to Mama Song, Qingpu, Caifu, and even the little maids standing outside.
Qingpu had already seen Jinchao’s culinary skills and was unsurprised. Caifu, however, was delighted. “It’s so crisp and fragrant—absolutely delicious!”
Old Madam Ji took a bite, and the layers of pastry flaked apart at the touch, melting on her tongue. The rich, savory aroma of the preserved vegetables filled her mouth—it was unexpectedly good.
As the warm chamber bustled with laughter and chatter, a maid’s voice came from outside the curtain: “Old Madam, the Second Young Master, the Third Young Master, the Fourth Young Master, and the Young Master from the Gu family have arrived.”
Old Madam Ji smiled. “What perfect timing! Invite them in.”
Ji Can was the first to lift the curtain and step inside. “Grandmother, what smells so good in here? I could smell it from the corridor.”
Old Madam Ji pointed toward the brazier. “Your cousin baked crab shell yellow pastries for us. Come and have a taste—they’re quite good.”
The young men entered the room, and Ji Yao’s gaze immediately landed on Gu Jinchao.
She was still seated by the brazier, focused entirely on the pastries. The firelight cast a golden glow over her face, her clear eyes reflecting its flickering light like a tranquil pond in spring. Her long lashes, touched by the warm hue, added to the delicate allure of her features. She wore a tea-white silk robe with blue embroidered borders, and as she tilted her head slightly, the smooth, translucent skin of her neck caught the glow, as if carved from the finest jade.
Ji Yao quickly averted his gaze, telling himself that no matter how low Gu Jinchao’s character might be, her beauty was undeniably the most striking he had ever seen. He had never thought much of it before, but for some reason, tonight, she seemed even more captivating.
Jinchao looked up at them and smiled slightly. “This batch is almost done.” She lowered her gaze again, continuing to tend to the pastries with quiet concentration.
“We brought some pear soup for Grandmother,” Ji Yao said as he set down the food container in his hands. “I took Rong along for a walk around the estate and found some frozen pears in the cellar, so I asked the kitchen to prepare this for you.”
Old Madam Ji beamed. “It seems everyone wants to bring me food today.”
By the time Jinchao finished baking, the young men were preparing to leave. Their eldest uncle had arranged for them to meet a highly respected scholar in Tongzhou to discuss literary composition. Jinchao asked Qingpu to fetch a food container so the pastries could be packed for them to take along.
One food container was brought in, and another was carried out. Ji Can, unable to contain his curiosity, eagerly grabbed a pastry from the box. “Smells amazing! I never would have guessed that our cousin had such a skill.”
Ji Yun shook his head in mock disapproval. “Look at you—absolutely gluttonous… But I must say, our cousin is quite amusing. Baking pastries in the warm chamber and even sharing them with the maids and servants—how unexpected.”
Ji Can laughed heartily. “As long as it’s delicious, I couldn’t care less!”
Ji Yao smiled faintly. “If you dared to bake pastries in the warm chamber, Grandmother would have you kneeling in the ancestral hall for days.”
Gu Jinrong, however, remained silent.
His mind drifted back to the plate of cloud-pattern sesame cakes.
Watching her so focused on baking today, he suddenly recalled that day when Gu Jinchao had made pastries just for him. Yet all he had done was question her about Qingpu. Had she been disappointed then? Had she felt that all her effort had been wasted on someone who didn’t appreciate it?
When he looked at Gu Jinchao now, she didn’t seem like the person Gu Lan had described. But then again, everything had unfolded just as Gu Lan had said it would…
Lost in thought, he stood by the window late into the night, staring at the falling snow.
Qingxiu approached and gently reminded him to rest.
“Qingxiu,” Gu Jinrong asked, still gazing outside, “do you think a person’s nature can be judged just by looking at them?”
Qingxiu pondered for a moment before replying, “Master, bad people don’t have it written on their faces. Sometimes, the ones who look the kindest—those with gentle smiles and kind eyes—are the most ruthless of all. Isn’t there an old saying? When wandering the jianghu, one must be most wary of the elderly, children, and monks.”
Gu Jinrong nodded slightly, lost in thought.
- Zhuazhou (抓周) is a traditional Chinese ceremony held on a child’s first birthday. The child is presented with various objects, and the item they pick is believed to predict their future interests or career. ↩︎