Ji Zizhao returned to the Ji family when it was already dark.
As Ji Zizhao entered, she specifically glanced towards her grandmother's courtyard, only to see it completely dark.
She suspected her grandmother was likely uneasy about the jade hairpin from this morning.
This was for the best; only when her grandmother felt apprehensive would she then dare not continue to restrain her so arbitrarily.
In Zhaoyuan.
Third Madam Yin Wenying was pacing restlessly. Upon hearing that Ji Zizhao had returned, she almost tumbled off her chair.
Ji Zizhao, who had just entered, quickly reached out to support her. "Third Aunt, be careful."
Third Madam Yin Wenying felt the steady strength in the arm supporting her, far from being the superficial pretense on the surface. Thinking again of how these hands had pulled her daughter from the brink of disaster, her eyes welled up with tears.
"Zijiao, it is, it is Third Aunt who was muddled!" Third Madam Yin Wenying had spent her entire life navigating the Ji family, believing herself to be shrewd enough, yet who would have thought that the ones holding her and her daughter's fate in their hands would be the useless person she had never even deigned to look at properly.
When Zhang Ji presented the divorce agreement stamped with the official seal of Fengtian Prefecture today, Third Madam Yin Wenying knew she owed Zijiao an immense debt of gratitude. Coupled with the Old Madam's tacit approval, Third Madam Yin Wenying felt even more guilt-ridden, regretting not having treated Zijiao better in the past.
"Zijiao, rest assured, from now on in the Ji family, no matter what others say about you, Third Aunt will definitely stand by you with your third sister." Now that things were out in the open, Third Madam Yin Wenying finally felt at ease.
Ji Zizhao smiled faintly. "Is Third Sister well?"
"I had originally intended for your third sister to accompany me, but that child is incredibly stubborn. She insisted that she needed to think carefully about how to establish herself firmly before she could have the confidence to stand before you. Zijiao, please don't blame her for not coming to thank you." Third Madam Yin Wenying said this cautiously.
The four diagnostic methods – observing, listening, inquiring, and palpating – though seemingly indecisive, are in fact the cornerstone of medicine, requiring utmost care to control illness.
Similarly, one cannot strategize for a region without considering the whole.
Third Sister had always been a perceptive person. After this ordeal with the Zhao family, it would be best if she became even more enlightened and insightful.
"We are family, there's no need for formalities. Third Aunt, you don't need to be so cautious. In the future, the Ji family will still require Third Aunt's help to share the burden with me." The Ji family was currently teetering on the brink; it was not something she could accomplish alone if she wished to lead the Ji family forward against the prevailing winds.
Third Madam Yin Wenying had never imagined that someone she had looked down upon as useless would not only act decisively but also speak in a way that warmed the heart. Had she been blind before, to have treated Zijiao with such disdain?
Third Madam Yin Wenying lingered in Zhaoyuan for a little longer before leaving with a warm heart.
Ji Zizhao escorted her third aunt out of the courtyard without turning back. Instead, she took Xinlan directly to Yunyuan.
As soon as her daughter entered, Madam Lin Wanyun's eyes welled up. "Zizhao..."
Ji Zizhao walked to her mother's side and was the first to bend her knees and kneel on the ground. "That day, in my haste, I offended you, Mother, which was unfilial. However, I do not regret it. If I had to do it again, I would still choose to act in the same way."
Madam Lin Wanyun's heart felt a surge of bittersweet emotion. "Mother knows you are filial, and she knows you want to help the Ji family stand tall. However, you are the only daughter Mother has in this life. Now that your father is no longer here, if you were to make any further mistakes, how could Mother possibly continue to live?"
Madam Lin Wanyun slowly raised her hand and stroked her daughter's jade-like face, but ultimately sighed. "Your stubborn nature is so much like your father's. If he has a spirit in heaven, seeing you like this, he would not only not worry but would likely smile with satisfaction. Forget it... do as you wish from now on. You are grown up and know how to make your own choices."
Madam Lin Wanyun did not want to compromise, but she had no choice but to do so!
Whether it was Yan Jie'er's safe return, the Zhao family's willing issuance of the divorce papers, or the Old Madam's tacit approval and personal refusal of the Zhao family, all were sufficient proof of Ji Zizhao's methods and intellect.
Once, her husband had said that an eagle should spread its wings and soar; true security was merely a cruel excuse to clip its wings.
The moment Madam Lin Wanyun thought of her husband, and then looked at her daughter before her, tears flowed like a spring.
Ji Zizhao's heart warmed. She placed her hand on her mother's knee, as if playfully coaxing, "Mother, rest assured, your daughter will be cautious in all matters and will never make you worry."
Madam Lin Wanyun sighed heavily again, then reached out and poked her daughter's full forehead. "You're so grown up yet still acting like a child. Have you forgotten that you are now the one in charge of the Ji family?"
"In front of Mother, I am always a child."
"You..."
The fifteenth of August, the Jade Rabbit rose in the east.
The streets of Yulin Huangcheng were already adorned with lanterns of all colors, the winding lights resembling a coiled dragon, undulating in the sky above Sheng Huangcheng.
The people of Yulin, who most revered the full moon on the fifteenth of August and the reunion of families, would all don their best attire on this day to release flower lanterns, guess riddles, and pray for the health and longevity of their loved ones, and for the safe return of those away from home.
At three quarters past the hour of You, the moonlight was gentle.
The Ji family had also hung numerous lanterns high.
Ji Ziyan had already arrived at Zhaoyuan and was waiting with a calm heart. Seeing her elder sister emerge, she choked out, "Elder Sister, I..."
Ji Zizhao held her third sister's hand and said softly, "The word 'open-minded' is easy to say but difficult to practice. There is no need to rush, nor to feel guilty. Come find me when you know what you want to do and what you should do. Today, let us properly release the long-burning lamps for the men of the Ji family, and do not overthink anything else."
Ji Ziyan linked her arm with her elder sister's, nodding through tears.
A commotion seemed to come from Xiuyuan.
Listening carefully, one could still hear Xiang Yin complaining, "Miss, why are you not using the door again? You've poked another big hole in the newly changed window..."
A short while later, Ji Zixiu was seen rushing to stand before them.
Upon seeing her elder sister, although Ji Zixiu did not wish to explain, she reluctantly said, "I haven't broken our agreement! That thing is still placed by the door. Don't worry, I won't use the door until I've figured out a way to break it."
Ji Ziyan was curious. "When I wasn't here, what agreement did Elder Sister and Second Sister make that you are so harmonious?"
If she remembered correctly, among the younger sisters, Second Sister had always looked down on Elder Sister.
Ji Zizhao offered no explanation, merely urging them, "If we don't go now, we'll be late."
Releasing long-burning lamps on the fifteenth of August not only required punctuality but also great care in lighting the wicks.
This was because once a long-burning lamp was lit, it could not be extinguished until the oil was consumed and the candle naturally extinguished.
By the Taiye River within the city, the common people were already crowded, waiting to release their lanterns.
Ji Zizhao led her two sisters into the crowd, found a quiet spot, and lit the long-burning lamps that the female members of the Ji family had made by hand.
When Ji Ziyan and Ji Zixiu received their lamps, they could no longer restrain their tears.
In the past, they saw people releasing long-burning lamps by the Taiye River every year, but they never thought they would be the ones doing so one day, nor did they realize how bitter and unbearable the experience would be.