Сhеng Сhi lookеd аt thе еmрty table аnd сhuckled wrуly.
Mеаnwhilе, Zhоu Shаоjin’s ears wеre still burning hot even after shе еnterеd the tеа rооm.
She hореd thаt bу the timе she went baсk in, Unсle Сhi would have fоrgotten аbout the mаttеr.
With hеr fасе flushеd crimson, Zhоu Shаojin wаlkеd оver tо the stоvе, comрlеtelу failing to notiсe Qing Feng and Lаng Yuе sitting in thе cоrner, munching on friеd brоаd beаns.
Qing Fеng аnd Lаng Yuе, hоwevеr, wеre quitе surprisеd to seе Zhou Shаоjin. Тheу соuldn’t hеlp but exсhange a glancе—Zhou Shaojin’s еyes wеre rеd, сleаrly from crying.
Lang Yue nudged Qing Feng with his elbow.
Qing Feng let out a soft, disdainful snort and turned his face away.
Seeing no other option, Lang Yue smiled helplessly, pulled a handful of fried broad beans from his pocket, and offered them to Zhou Shaojin.
“Second Cousin,” he said with a cheerful smile, “have some beans.”
Zhou Shaojin had grown up accustomed to fine delicacies and preferred softer foods. Hard snacks like fried broad beans were usually not to her taste. Nevertheless, she smiled and thanked him, accepting the beans and tucking them into her pocket. Naturally, she then noticed Qing Feng sitting on a small stool in the corner.
She nodded at him with a smile.
Qing Feng remained expressionless.
Zhou Shaojin decided not to bother with him further and picked up the kettle to fill it with water.
Lang Yue quickly said, “Second Cousin, let me do it, let me.”
“No need,” Zhou Shaojin declined with a smile.
Right now, she needed something to do to distract herself from the earlier embarrassment.
Zhou Shaojin fetched water, placed the kettle on the stove, picked up a cattail-leaf fan, and sat on a small stool in front of the stove to fan the flames.
“Second Cousin, please let me handle this!” Lang Yue reached for the fan in Zhou Shaojin’s hand. “Our Fourth Master is very particular—the person who brews the tea is not the one who boils the water. Please don’t stand on ceremony with me. What if flying charcoal ash dirties your hands? Why don’t you sit over there and wait? I’ll call you once the water is ready.”
“Really?” Zhou Shaojin hesitated.
Last time she encountered Uncle Chi at the Three Branches Pavilion, it seemed she had both boiled the water and brewed the tea… and Uncle Chi hadn’t said anything about it.
Could it be that he was just trying to help her out of an awkward situation?
As she pondered this, she noticed white ash floating out of the stove and landing on her hand. So she handed the fan to Lang Yue.
Lang Yue smiled and pointed to a nearby copper basin. “Second Cousin, why not wash your hands over there? There’s a small stool nearby. Sister Nanping likes to have some snacks when she drinks tea. The cabinet over there has plums, olives, and such. Please help yourself—take whatever you like. Once I’ve boiled the water, I’ll call you to brew the tea.” Then he called out, “Qing Feng,” and said, “Go fetch a partitioned box and see what Second Cousin likes to eat. Fill it up for her.”
Qing Feng silently took out a partitioned box from the cabinet Lang Yue had mentioned and asked Zhou Shaojin in a low voice, “Second Cousin, what would you like to eat?”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t feel like eating anything. She only hoped Cheng Chi would forget what had just happened.
“Don’t worry about me,” she politely declined. “If I want any tea snacks, I’ll let you know.”
As the two were speaking, Nanping walked in.
Her jet-black hair was styled in a round bun, adorned with a jade hairpin. She wore a water-green silk vest, and her gentle smile gave her a serene and graceful appearance."Second Young Miss, you've come." She smiled and curtsied to Zhou Shaojin, saying, "The charcoal smell is heavy here. Why don't you sit on the veranda for a while? When the water boils, Qing Feng will call for you."
Seeing Nanping's sincerity, Zhou Shaojin felt it inappropriate to insist and allowed Nanping to accompany her out of the tea room.
Nanping noticed her eyes were red-rimmed, yet her face was pale as snow. Far from looking disheveled, she instead had a delicate, fragile beauty that evoked pity.
She couldn't help but silently admire her.
This Second Young Miss from the fourth branch was truly beautiful!
Not just beautiful—there was a gentle, submissive loveliness in her every glance and gesture, like a flower that might break with the slightest pressure.
No wonder Fourth Master couldn't bring himself to scold her loudly when she cried.
Who knows which family's young man would have the fortune to marry her someday.
These thoughts flashed through Nanping's mind in an instant.
She smiled and made small talk with Zhou Shaojin: "Have you been doing needlework in your spare time lately? Last time I visited, I saw you working on a woman's skirt. If I'm not mistaken, it looked like a Moonlight Skirt. I never imagined Second Young Miss's embroidery skills were so exquisite, even capable of making a Moonlight Skirt."
Zhou Shaojin modestly replied, "It's merely passable, nowhere near as skilled as the masters in the embroidery workshop."
"They make their living from it," Nanping laughed. "If they were worse than us, that would be unacceptable."
As they chatted, Lang Yue peeked out: "Second Young Miss, the tea is ready."
Zhou Shaojin responded with a smile, went to the tea room to fetch the tea, and said to Nanping, "Let's talk more later."
Nanping smiled as she watched Zhou Shaojin enter the main hall.
Huaishan appeared from somewhere and whispered, "Is Second Miss Zhou alright?"
"She's fine," Nanping replied with a smile. "I think Second Miss Zhou is quite sensible..."
Implying, how could she have cried like that?
Huaishan said, "I don't know either... she suddenly started crying..." He stroked his chin and mused, "But it's been years since I've seen anyone dare to cry in front of Fourth Master... I was quite startled too..."
Nanping fell silent.
Zhou Shaojin pretended nothing had happened and placed the teacup beside Cheng Chi, sweetly calling out "Uncle Chi" and saying, "Please have some tea."
Cheng Chi looked at her smiling, curved eyes. If she had a wagging tail behind her, she would be the spitting image of a Persian cat trying to please its owner.
He smiled and hummed in acknowledgment, picking up the teacup to take a sip.
The heavy stone in Zhou Shaojin's heart finally settled.
Since he drank her tea, it meant he was letting bygones be bygones!
Zhou Shaojin sat in the armchair below Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi asked her, "Do you have something to ask me?"
While she was brewing tea, he had thought it over. Since she hadn't come to him about Cheng Xiangqing's matter, nor about Cheng Jiashan's, there was only one possibility—like last time, she had encountered something she didn't understand and came to ask him.
How could Zhou Shaojin straightforwardly bring up the matter of the Second Branch's Old Ancestor? Aren't rumors always the last thing the person involved hears? Although Uncle Chi was formidable, if the Second Branch's Old Ancestor had acted very discreetly, and Uncle Chi respected him as an elder and hadn't noticed at all, if she spoke so bluntly, Uncle Chi definitely wouldn't believe her.Rather than painstakingly explain, it would be better to subtly remind Uncle Chi. Uncle Chi would naturally investigate on his own.
“Not at all!” Zhou Shaojin said the words she had long prepared, “Last time when my father returned, didn’t the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor host a banquet for our family? I was in the inner courtyard at the time and only heard from my father afterward that you had gone to Huaian, and that there was a problem with a batch of goods at home, so you went to Huaian to handle it. I was a bit worried and thought I still needed to deliver tea to you. So I came by to ask Miss Nanping how your affairs were progressing? Unexpectedly, I ran into Qing Feng, who said you had already returned…”
In that case, the tea had been delivered, and she had seen him in person, so why was she still determined to stay?
Cheng Chi did not believe her words.
He always felt there was more to what she was saying.
Sure enough. As he expected, Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, “Uncle Chi, have you already resolved the matters in Huaian? I wonder what it was about. To think it required you to make the trip personally? When my father left, he kept lamenting, saying Uncle Chi is knowledgeable and eloquent. Before, he had only met you twice because of his scholarly pursuits, and now that he had the chance to have a long conversation with you, you were too busy and were called away by the stewards after just a few words. He originally thought he would see you at the banquet. Who would have thought you had gone to Huaian. In the end, he was called to the study by the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor to play chess, and even Cousin Shi was called over to serve tea and water…” As she spoke, she giggled, as if amused by Cheng Shi’s predicament, and said, “My father also said he never expected that Aunt Hong’s maternal family was actually the Huang Family of Saiyang. Uncle Chi, is the Huang Family of Saiyang very famous? More famous than Nine Prosperities Lane? My father said Nine Prosperities Lane is the foremost family in Jinling—is that true?”
Cheng Chi was inwardly startled.
Was this little girl here to warn him to be cautious of the Second Branch’s Old Ancestor?
Did she even know what she was saying?
Was this something a little girl like her should be involved in?
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Jinling City is an ancient capital of six dynasties, a place where dragons and tigers hide. How could Nine Prosperities Lane be considered the foremost family in Jinling? Where would that leave the Gu Family of Plum Blossom Lane? And the Guo Family of Stone Lane—which family doesn’t have deeper roots than our Cheng Family? Such words must not be spoken carelessly outside.”
“I know!” Zhou Shaojin smiled, pursing her lips, and said, “I’m only saying this in front of Uncle Chi.”
She was growing anxious inside.
Had Uncle Chi understood her words or not?
Should she speak more plainly?
Zhou Shaojin was uncertain.
Cheng Chi, however, noticed that her left hand was gripping her right hand, and her fingers seemed about to twist together again.
Did anyone else notice this habit of hers?
Fortunately, she was just a sheltered young lady. If she were to conduct herself outside, she would likely be taken advantage of in no time.
Still, even as a sheltered young lady, once she married, she would have to deal with her mother-in-law above and sisters-in-law below—it would be just as easy for others to figure her out.
He couldn’t help but say, “Do you know that whenever something is on your mind, your fingers twist together?”
“Huh?!” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened.
Weren’t they talking about his affairs? Why was he suddenly talking about her?
She was at a loss.
Cheng Chi had already asked, “Has anyone ever told you about this habit of yours?”
Was this considered a habit?Zhou Shaojin took a long moment to regain her composure before saying, "My, my sister told me about it, but I just can't seem to change..." She lowered her head in shame. "After that, I tried to go out less and stay at home..."
The room fell silent, not a sound to be heard.
Would Uncle Chi be angry because of this?
Zhou Shaojin anxiously lifted her head to look at Cheng Chi.
She saw Cheng Chi's brows slightly furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.
Not knowing what was happening, Zhou Shaojin could only sit quietly, trying to keep her breathing light so as not to disturb him.
After just a few breaths, Cheng Chi suddenly said, "When you sit, can you develop the habit of tightly clasping your hands together? No matter when, keep your hands tightly clasped." As he spoke, his gaze fell on her hands. "Don't let others notice you're nervous; make them think it's just your usual manner."
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Sisters, today is the last day of 2014... Do you still have any pink tickets? I'm asking for pink tickets... o(n_n)o
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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