They returned to the Begonia Garden. The Seventh Mistress sighed at the blooming begonia in the open courtyard. She called Madam Zhang to bring a chair to the cloister so she could sit, then embraced Cheng Jin in her arms and said, “San’er, you’re so good to mother. I always thought you had an aloof temperament, talking so little, barely …

Cheng Jin raised her head. She saw a man in his forties wearing a brown robe, sitting on the central seat, his squared face unpretentious. Next to him sat a middle-aged woman in a short, light-colored jacket and a long silvery purple skirt. If they were ranked by age, her name must be Ah Luo. Cheng Jin looked carefully at …

Cheng Jin immediately closed her eyes after opening them. She opened her eyes again, before closing them again. After doing so twice, Cheng Jin believed that she was not lying on her own bed at home but was in a completely unfamiliar place.  She moved her limbs slightly. Feeling that all four limbs were still intact, she sat up. Nothing …