"Dоn't speаk nonsensе," Zhоu Shаоjin whisреred. "This is in sоmeone else's cоurtуard. Whаt doеs it mаttеr tо us what hарреns in sоmeоne else's соurtyаrd?"
Shi Xiang fell silеnt.
In truth, Zhou Shaоjin had alsо sеnsеd sоmеthing аmiss, but shе had alwауs assumеd it wаs bеcаuse thеrе was no mistrеss in thе Hill оf Clustered Сassia Cоurtуаrd, with frequеnt visits from attendаnts аnd sеrvants, mаking it inсоnvеniеnt fоr maids, wivеs, аnd matrоns to mоve abоut freеlу. Нowеvеr, hеаring Shi Xiang's words, shе couldn't help but pаy closеr attentiоn.
Soоn, Нuaishаn returned. He said, "Fourth Master invites Second Cousin to the Snow Gazing Studio for a talk."
Zhou Shaojin uttered an "oh," stood up, straightened her collar, and followed Huaishan out of the open hall.
The Snow Gazing Studio was located northwest of the open hall, surrounded by boxwood trees. Their trunks were gnarled and twisted, their branches lush and varied in shape—all ancient trees of considerable age.
At a glance, Zhou Shaojin could see the high, upturned gray eaves peeking out intermittently behind the three-bay wing rooms, indicating that the Snow Gazing Studio was quite spacious.
Huaishan stopped before the soft curtain of the wing room, respectfully announced their arrival, and only after Cheng Chi said, "Come in," did he lift the curtain and invite Zhou Shaojin inside.
Like the Embroidered Splendor Hall, the doors and window lattices of the Snow Gazing Studio were fitted with transparent glass, making the room much brighter than ordinary wing rooms.
As soon as Zhou Shaojin entered, she noticed that Cheng Chi had changed his clothes.
His original sapphire-blue plain silk robe from Huzhou and Hangzhou had been replaced by a pine-green Songjiang fine cloth Taoist robe. The jade hairpin had been removed, and his jet-black hair was casually tied up. He wore a pair of simple, coarse blue cloth shoes, looking both neat and comfortably elegant.
Was he not planning to go out again?
What about the theater stage over there?
Lost in thought, Zhou Shaojin curtsied to Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"
He was seated behind a large desk. On either side of the desk were tall stacks of account books, with one spread open before him. On the right side of the desk, a Huzhou brush dipped in ink rested on the brush holder. The pine-green Taoist robe contrasted with his skin, which was as fine as porcelain and as smooth as jade, exuding elegance and grace. There was not a trace of worry or anxiety about him.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt she had been rash.
Uncle Chi was an adult, managing such a vast estate in Nine Prosperities Lane. There was nothing he hadn't seen or experienced. To put it bluntly, he had probably crossed more bridges than she had walked roads. Even if Jiying disrupted his arrangements, given his abilities, he surely had a good way to handle it. As for herself, she had taken rumors at face value. Hearing Jiying say that Uncle Chi was troubled because of it, she had wondered if she should come to apologize... After all, she had been with Jiying at the time.
But now, it seemed Uncle Chi was nothing like what Jiying had described...
Zhou Shaojin's face flushed crimson.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "You're here to plead for Jiying, aren't you?"
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin hurriedly replied. "Miss Jiying is doing quite well now. Since you arranged things this way, you must have your reasons. I'm not here to plead for her."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Chi raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression turning somewhat teasing. "Really not here to plead for Jiying?"
Zhou Shaojin was momentarily stunned.
The dignified Uncle Chi... could he also show such an expression?!
She shook her head, pushing the thought aside, and spoke candidly, "I heard from Jiying that you're going to the Gu family for dinner tomorrow. I thought we had caused you trouble and wanted to apologize..."Cheng Chi was slightly taken aback, then laughed again, saying, "So after seeing me like this, you decided not to apologize to me?"
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin's face flushed even redder. "I still need to apologize..." But she didn't know how to put it into words.
Cheng Chi laughed heartily. "I'll handle this matter. Just don't join Jiying in gossiping about me behind my back."
Zhou Shaojin wished she could bury her head in the sand.
Cheng Chi's voice suddenly softened like a spring breeze. "The opera is about to end. Hurry back! Be careful your sister doesn't find you missing."
Only then did Zhou Shaojin remember the opera was still playing on stage. With an "Oh!" she jumped up, flustered, muttered "Sorry" to Cheng Chi, and fled in disarray.
Watching the stumbling figure disappear from sight, Cheng Chi couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Suddenly, an image surfaced in his mind: her sitting in the teahouse, tilting her little head in confusion, her voice sweet and puzzled as she asked Jiying, "Could it be that Jiao Ziyang has a problem?"
Young girls truly have too little experience. He had only extended a helping hand twice, and without even understanding what kind of person he was, she had already begun to blindly trust him!
Trust!
Yet Qin Ziping, who had followed him for years, believed he had torn Jiying and Jiao Ziyang apart... And Nanping, though he didn't say it aloud, thought in his heart that he had done wrong...
For one person to completely trust another—is it easy? Or is it difficult?
Cheng Chi gazed at the boxwood tree trimmed into the shape of a crane outside the door, his expression stern.
※
When Zhou Shaojin rushed back to Cold Green Mountain House, the opera had just ended.
Both she and Shi Xiang let out long sighs of relief.
Cheng Jia linked arms with her, chattering in a low voice, "Gao Huizhu sang so well, and his stage presence was exquisite. I originally thought he only performed martial male roles, but I didn't expect his young scholar roles to be just as good. I think in at most two years, the Changgao Troupe will replace the Ma Family Troupe as the best in Jinling..."
Zhou Shaojin listened distractedly and asked Gu Shiqigu, "I heard Uncle Chi is going to the Guo family as a guest tomorrow. Is that true?"
"Yes!" Gu Shiqigu smiled. "They say Old Master Guo hasn't seen Fourth Uncle Cheng for some time and invited him over for a visit."
Should she go to Cold Green Mountain House tomorrow to copy scriptures?
Zhou Shaojin decided to ask Biyu to help inquire later.
Just then, they ran into Yuru, a maid from Cheng Xu's quarters.
"Second Cousin Miss, Cousin Jia," she greeted Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia respectfully.
Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes.
Why was she here?
Yuru smiled. "The Old Madam hasn't hosted guests here for many years. With so many people arriving suddenly today, Madam sent us over to lend a hand to the main household."
Zhou Shaojin didn't believe a word of it.
Madam Yuan treated Cheng Xu like the apple of her eye. Even if she had transferred maids and servants from her own quarters to help, she would never have touched the people from Cheng Xu's rooms.
A sense of alarm rose in Zhou Shaojin's heart.
She stuck close to Cheng Jia like a shadow.
Several times, Yuru glanced over, but Zhou Shaojin pretended not to notice.
She had made up her mind: no matter what, she would not be alone. Whatever scheme Cheng Xu had in mind would be useless.
Yet she couldn't help feeling somewhat agitated. After hastily finishing the birthday banquet, since Madam Mian had to help Madam Yuan see off the guests, Zhou Chujin decided to stay and wait for Madam Mian to return together.Under normal circumstances, Zhou Shaojin would have returned alone, but having encountered Yu Ru, who had suddenly appeared that afternoon, she decided to return with her eldest aunt and elder sister.
However, she couldn’t help with seeing off the guests.
After bidding farewell to Gu Shiqigu, Zhou Shaojin sat in the side room to wait.
As the people in the side room gradually took their leave, Zhou Shaojin began to feel a bit anxious.
She asked a young maid who was tidying up, "Where is Old Madam Guo?"
The maid recognized her and replied with a smile, "She’s in the main room."
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Who else is in the main room?"
The maid said, "There are also members of the Guo family."
Then she might as well go there to avoid trouble!
In front of Old Madam Guo, even Cheng Xu wouldn’t dare act recklessly, let alone someone like Yu Ru.
Zhou Shaojin headed toward the main room.
As lanterns had already been lit, she noticed two figures speaking under the shadow of a large tree beside the steps of the main room.
Shrouded in the tree’s shadow, she could only vaguely make out that they were two women.
Zhou Shaojin paid it no mind at first, but as she drew closer, she heard someone say, "...I used to hear the saying, ‘The emperor favors his eldest son, while commoners dote on their youngest.’ I never thought much of it, but now that it’s my turn, I realize how true it is. I should have pressured Si Lang to marry years ago. Now that he’s older, he’s even less likely to listen to me." The speaker sighed deeply.
Zhou Shaojin was startled.
She hadn’t expected it to be Old Madam Guo speaking under the tree.
Who was the other person?
As she pondered, the other person spoke, "Marriage is fated. Perhaps Si Lang’s destined match hasn’t arrived yet. When he comes to my place tomorrow, I’ll have his eldest cousin talk to him properly. He has always respected his eldest cousin, so he’s bound to listen to some extent."
It seemed the other person was the elderly lady of the Guo family.
"Sister-in-law," Zhou Shaojin heard Old Madam Guo say, "I’m counting on you for this matter. I no longer care about the other party’s background or status. As long as Si Lang takes a liking to her, I’ll turn a blind eye and let him marry her. At worst, I’ll use what’s left of my old bones to teach her myself."
"Don’t worry! Si Lang knows his limits," the elderly lady of the Guo family said with a laugh. "He’ll surely bring back a daughter-in-law who satisfies you."
Old Madam Guo wasn’t comforted by these words. Instead, she said, "What good is my satisfaction? If I weren’t afraid that Si Lang might end up in an unhappy marriage, I would have arranged his wedding long ago."
Realizing she had overheard something she shouldn’t have, Zhou Shaojin quietly retreated to the side room.
There were still four or five people sitting together and chatting in the side room.
Zhou Shaojin chose a corner seat and thought about Old Madam Guo’s words.
Why hadn’t Uncle Chi married?
Did he have someone in mind this time?
Then she saw Yu Ru walk in.
For a moment, Zhou Shaojin felt a flash of panic.
But she quickly composed herself.
As long as she didn’t follow Yu Ru, could the latter possibly drag her away in public?
Zhou Shaojin settled firmly into the armchair.
Yu Ru walked over with a smile.
Just then, Zhou Chujin appeared at the door, "Shao Jin, it’s time for us to go back."
Yu Ru’s smile instantly froze on her face.
Zhou Shaojin wished she could hug her sister and kiss her twice.
Eagerly, she took her sister’s hand and returned to Fragrant Garden Residence with a bright smile.The next day, Shi Xiang told her, "Biyu said Old Madam Guo leaves at chenzheng (8 a.m.) and returns around youzheng (6 p.m.). If Second Miss wishes to copy scriptures at home, she will bring over the brush, ink, paper, and scriptures later."
How troublesome that would be!
Zhou Shaojin asked Shi Xiang to reply to Biyu, "...I will still go over at yinchu (1 p.m.) today. Tell her not to bother with all that."
Shi Xiang agreed with a smile.
In the morning, Zhou Shaojin tried designing a new embroidery pattern, and in the afternoon, she went to Cold Green Mountain House.
Perhaps because there were no masters present, the atmosphere at Cold Green Mountain House seemed much livelier than usual.
※
Thank you all for the pink tickets, and also thank you Mengxian66, Zixiao12, cadyss, and Yanguoqq for the spirit beast eggs. I will work hard to update more to repay the debt(>_<)
※(To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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