A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 105

Chapter 105: Wishes

The Shen Residence had a new aunt.

This time, Shen Zhishu caught her in the act. But when the aunt came in, she was not wearing a wedding dress and was not in a grand sedan chair. She had thought that she was some official who had come to visit Shen Hantan.

The two of them met at the main gate.

Shen Zhishu made a “please” gesture, signaling the other party to go first. She stood by the door, her body completely blocked by the wall. So Mistress He in the courtyard did not see her. When the aunt entered the door, she patted the aunt’s hand and said, “From now on, just treat this as your own home. If you lack anything, just tell me.”

Shen Zhishu: ??

…What was this person’s background that she could make Mistress He so “fawning”? Could it be that she was a high-ranking official?

That’s not right. She had seen all the high-ranking officials in the court, and she had never seen this person.

Then she heard the woman say in a delicate voice, “Thank you, Mistress. This servant has no way to repay you. I will be a horse and cow for you and the Minister in my next life. Mistress, there’s no need to worry about me. I saw Little General Shen outside just now. She hasn’t come in yet, so she must be getting anxious waiting outside.”

Mistress He’s voice immediately rose by eight degrees, “Shu’er is here?????”

…I didn’t expect Mother He to miss me so much!

Shen Zhishu was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She hurriedly ran in, “Mother, I’m here!”

Mistress He glanced at her and frowned, “You’re not staying with Her Highness, what are you doing here?”

Shen Zhishu: …? Was she being disliked?

Shen Zhishu’s mood went up and down. She glanced from afar and saw a group of aunts squatting by the rockery, peeking around.

Wuwu, the aunts are still the best. They will never dislike me.

Thinking this, Shen Zhishu walked in that direction. She saw the ten aunts all stand up like they were pulling up radishes and wave at her quickly.

Shen Zhishu changed from a stroll to a jog and came to the side of the rockery. She heard the Ninth Concubine chatting with the Tenth Concubine.

The Ninth Concubine: “We have a new sister.”

The Tenth Concubine: “That’s right, it’s so good. The manor can be a little more lively now.”

Shen Zhishu: ? What do you mean by “sister”???

An absurd thought came to her mind, so she pointed to the young girl who was chatting with Mistress He in the middle of the courtyard and asked in disbelief, “Is she the Eleventh Concubine?”

The First Concubine looked up at the sky, “That, no, it’s a relative from the Second Sister’s hometown who came to visit. Right, Second Sister.”

The Second Concubine: Ah? Me?

The Second Concubine braced herself and said, “Yes,” and then said. “Their family is so poor that they can’t even open the pot. They were going to sell her to a local gentry. Mistress He heard about it and said that she could come here. It’s just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks. She won’t be eating and living here for free. The Shen Residence has a bookstore business, so she can just copy books in her spare time.”

This sounded very sincere.

Shen Zhishu believed it for the time being.

Over there, Mistress He and the Second Concubine’s “relative” had finished their chat, and the two of them walked towards the rockery together.

The aunts immediately went up to greet them. The First Concubine tugged on Shen Zhishu’s sleeve and was the first to speak, “We have already introduced ourselves to Shu’er. The Second Sister’s sister can just live here at ease.”

But she saw Mistress He purse her lips and say in a gentle voice, “I’ve thought about it, and Shu’er is all grown up and is already married. There are some things that we don’t have to hide from her.”

“What does that mean?” the First Concubine said in surprise. “Are you going to tell Shu’er the truth?”

“Forget it,” Mistress He hesitated and finally said. “When Hantan comes back, the whole family can sit together and have a good chat about this matter.”

Because of this sentence, Shen Zhishu was scratching her heart and lungs all morning.

The manor was quite busy this morning—trees were being planted in the backyard, and the aunts were personally arranging the flowers and plants.

Mistress He, on the other hand, went out to look after the business. Before she left, she asked Shen Zhishu, “Where is Her Highness? Why don’t you invite her to the manor for a simple meal at noon?”

So Shen Zhishu called for Hongli, “Go to the palace and send a message, and have Her Highness come to the Shen Residence at noon.”

So at noon, the Shen Residence was very lively, and fifteen people sat neatly around the round table.

Shen Zhishu served Jiang Yu a piece of pork rib and turned to Shen Hantan with a smile, “Minister, so what is the situation?”

Shen Hantan propped her forehead and was quiet for a moment, then she sighed, “Forget it, just tell her.”

So the First Concubine said, “Twenty years ago, our village was so poor that we couldn’t even open the pot, and many people lived by selling their children. Shu’er, you also know that if it’s not an equal marriage, the marrying party has to give the wedded party a handsome betrothal gift. At that time, I was seventeen, and my parents had died early. It was my aunt who raised me. To say she raised me, it was actually just to give me a mouthful of food and then let me work in the fields.”

“I was quick with my hands and feet and was diligent, and I would rush to do any work. So my aunt and sisters were nice to me, until that year.”

“That year, there was a great drought, and there was no harvest. Many families could not afford to eat. I was not bad-looking, and it just so happened that a gentry in the town wanted to take a few concubines, so my aunt’s family discussed marrying me off to him.”

“I was originally thinking that I would just go. It would be a way of repaying my aunt’s family for raising me—anyway, I had no plans for the rest of my life—but I heard that the two concubines who had married him had both died in succession. Later, I found out that that gentry was extremely violent. When he was angry outside, he would close the door and beat his wife. It was said that he had a special torture chamber in his manor and took pleasure in torturing people.”

“So I begged my aunt not to sell me. I could do anything, but my aunts were not willing. They said that if you don’t go, we won’t have anything to eat. Sacrificing you to save a whole family, what are you not satisfied with? Later…”

Later, Shen Hantan happened to be an official there, and the First Concubine gritted her teeth and rushed up to her. Shen Hantan heard the cause and effect and immediately said that she would marry the First Concubine and gave a generous betrothal gift, and only then did her aunt’s family give up. From then on, the First Concubine came to the Shen Residence and helped to manage the backyard and the Shen family’s business.

“So your Mother Shen and I have no real husband-and-wife relationship at all. The Minister has also said that if we have a sweetheart, she will let us go. But we sisters have decided that none of us will leave and will be a horse and cow for the Shen family.”

Shen Zhishu: …This horse and cow is a bit too much.

In the end, the First Concubine said with emotion, “Minister Shen and Mistress He are truly kind-hearted people. The Minister often says that there are too many poor people in the world, and she can’t save them one by one. She can only solve the immediate difficulties first, and then actively manage the government, so that the Kingdom of Nan’an will prosper and provide shelter for all the poor scholars in the world.”

It was unclear whether Shen Hantan had been drinking, or if she was a little red-faced from being praised. She coughed and said to Shen Zhishu, “So Shu’er, they are called aunts, but they are actually free. Shu’er can stop calling them aunts in the future and call them sisters instead.”

“Forget it, forget it, I’ve been calling them that for so many years. It’s fine not to change,” the First Concubine said with a smile. “Since I came here, the two mistresses have never had a red face with us, and instead, they have raised us to be unrestrained, generous, and fearless. I really don’t know how to thank them.”

Shen Zhishu nodded, a little surprised, “This is not a strange thing, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Why did you only tell me now?”

“You were still young before, and I was afraid it would affect your view of marriage,” Mistress He said in a gentle voice. “Now that you and Her Highness are in love and the back of the house is peaceful, Hantan and I have decided to tell you. You must be more respectful to the aunts in the future. In a sense, they are not Shen family members, but are guests in the Shen Residence, and they also help to manage the Shen Residence’s business. Since they came, the industry has more than doubled. You must not think that they just eat and drink all day and have nothing to do. In fact, they are often busy outside.”

Shen Zhishu said in a loud voice, “I know,” and toasted each of the aunts with a cup of wine.

The aunts were overjoyed and coaxed the Eleventh Concubine to drink half a jar. By the time the Eleventh Concubine had finished lunch, her hands were trembling, and she almost passed out at the dinner table.

**

Ever since she had told Shen Zhishu about her background, the eleven aunts had become a little more restrained and were not as noisy as before.

In a few more days, it would be the spring equinox. The court and the Martial Hall had a three-day holiday, and Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu went to the suburbs of the capital for a spring outing.

There was a large pine forest in the suburbs of the capital, and the air was clear and cold. Jiang Yu and Shen Zhishu walked through it and, on the way, enlightened two or three wild ghosts and lonely souls.

The pine forest stretched to the mountainside, and at the end, there was a temple. Shen Zhishu and Jiang Yu exchanged a look and both stepped over the threshold.

The east wind did not stop, and the scent of incense rushed to meet them.

A nun put her hands together and said, “Amitabha,” “Do you two benefactors have any wishes?”

…Wishes?

Originally, she had no desires and only wanted the Kingdom of Nan’an to be stable in all four directions. But now—

Shen Zhishu turned her head, and her gaze flowed from the small mole at the corner of Jiang Yu’s eye to her nose and eyebrows, and she traced her with her gaze.

Do I have any wishes? I do.

She took the incense handed to her by the nun and stood side by side with Jiang Yu in front of the incense burner.

The scent of sandalwood and cedar were intertwined, and the old dreams of her old friend lingered in her heart.

She held the incense and bowed three times carefully.

I wish that when I reach the end of the mountains and the vast waters, I will suddenly look back, and even though the sea has turned into mulberry fields and the sun and moon have changed, you will still be standing tall and jade-like not far away.

Your hem is not stained with wind and snow, and your expression is the same as before. It is as if you have never gone far.

A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow —End—