If hеr guеss wаs truе, whаt had haрреnеd bаck then that mаdе Cheng Сhi leavе thе Сhеng fаmilу after Оld Madam Guo passеd аwaу?
A thrее-fооt laуеr оf iсе doеs not form in a singlе dаy.
Zhоu Shaojin thought оf the Seсond Brаnсh's раtriаrсh suрpressing Сhеng Chi, оf Сhеng Chi's wаy оf dоing things... If Cheng Сhi hаd alrеady plаnned to leаvе thе Chеng family at this timе, thеn еverуthing mаdе sеnsе. Inсluding his indifferеnсe tоward Сheng Xu, his аrrangеmеnts fоr the sеrvаnts аrоund him, his plans for his оwn marriage... all had аnswers.
She evеn thought that if it wеre hеr, shе would рrobably do the same.
Once the decision to leave was made, the fewer attachments the better, and the more distant the emotions, the better.
Zhou Shaojin was lost in thought when someone patted her shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiying's coldly beautiful face appeared before her. "I called you several times, but you didn't respond."
Zhou Shaojin quickly smiled apologetically at her.
Jiying said, "We can't drink today—I've been confined to my quarters and can't step beyond this threshold; and you're too weak to dig. We'll have to wait for Qin Ziping to come tonight and ask him for help."
Zhou Shaojin was no longer in the mood to drink with Jiying either. She left the crabs behind, arranged to come again tomorrow, and returned to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Meanwhile, not far away in the Lixue Study, Cheng Chi was reviewing account books.
He asked Huaishan, who stood before his desk with his hands tucked into his sleeves, "What did the second-in-command of the Guangdong Thirteen Guilds say?"
Huaishan replied respectfully, "He said that this year they took on the military pay for the nine border garrisons and had to advance ten percent, so they can't come up with that much cash right away. Could they pay half first, and use the four branch offices in Guangdong, Panyu, Foshan, and Huizhou as collateral for the remaining half? They'll calculate three percent interest and repay it over two years..."
"No!" Before Huaishan could finish, Cheng Chi, who had just turned a page of the account book, firmly interrupted him. "Tell them to reduce it by one point and pay in full. If they still can't come up with the cash, then reply to the Fujian An family. Have them prepare the silver."
Huaishan couldn't help but say, "Fourth Master, the four branch offices in Guangdong, Panyu, Foshan, and Huizhou are the earliest branches of the Thirteen Guilds and represent their reputation. Offering them as collateral clearly shows their sincerity in wanting to take over our shipping business. Moreover, I've found out that the Thirteen Guilds fought a mutually destructive battle with Yongfusheng in the capital over the military pay for the nine border garrisons. This deal will definitely result in a loss—it's just a matter of how much. Why must you be so aggressive? The head manager of the Thirteen Guilds is a formidable figure. Meanwhile, the Fujian An family made their fortune by colluding with Japanese pirates—their money isn't clean. If the court investigates, it could be troublesome..."
"Huaishan!" Cheng Chi set down the account book and rubbed his temples wearily. "We need cash. I don't have time to wait two years. Two years—too much can change. I don't want to wait any longer!"
"Fourth Master!" Huaishan lowered his head in shame.
Seeing this, Cheng Chi stood up, walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and said softly, "I know you mean well for me, hoping I can still play the role of a refined scholar in this prosperous Jiangnan region under the name of the Cheng family's Fourth Master. But I'm tired of it. I want to drink a pot of coarse wine and wake up in the desert sands; brew a pot of clear tea and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean tides...""Fourth Master!" Huaishan looked up, his voice trembling with emotion, eyes slightly moist. "Please say no more. I will go inform the An family in Fujian immediately!"
Cheng Chi's hand, resting on Huaishan's shoulder, paused slightly. "Forget it. You have a point. The An family acts too arrogantly; sooner or later, they will cause trouble. It would be unfortunate if the Cheng family were implicated. Go and speak with the second-in-command of the Thirteen Guilds. Follow their previous proposal: pay half the silver upfront and settle the remainder in two years."
"Fourth Master!" Huaishan widened his eyes in surprise.
Once Cheng Chi made a decision, he rarely changed his mind.
"Perhaps it's because I'm growing older and my heart is softening," Cheng Chi said with a self-deprecating smile. "I may disregard others, but I cannot disregard my mother. This matter... is settled."
Huaishan nodded hesitantly. "Fourth Master, what about Miss Jiying..."
"You mean the matter of the Maoji Rice Shop," Cheng Chi said calmly, turning to sit back in the armchair behind the desk. "Just have someone follow that servant. Even if Jiying doesn't know better, the Ji family won't be so foolish. Otherwise, they wouldn't have severed ties with the Jiao family back then. However, this reminds me of the Zhou family's second young miss. Send someone to investigate her background. If she can command Jiying to run errands for her, she must be no ordinary person."
He recalled how she had approached him several times, thinking it was merely a young girl's curiosity. Now, it seemed that might not be the case.
Cheng Chi's gaze sharpened, his brow furrowing with a stern intensity.
Huaishan shuddered, lowering his head as if unable to meet his gaze. "I will arrange it immediately," he said, bowing and retreating to the door before leaving.
Cheng Chi sat alone in the room, watching as the light gradually dimmed until darkness enveloped him.
※
The next day, Zhou Shaojin did not go to Jiying's place to eat crabs.
Lanting was clamoring to see her and had even begun a hunger strike over it.
Zhou Chujin was extremely irritated. To Madam Ma Fushan, who had come to report, she said, "If she were truly willing to die, she would have done so long ago. Pay her no mind. Just deliver her three meals a day as usual. Whether she eats or not is her own affair."
Zhou Shaojin felt this was not a solution. After some thought, she said, "Let me go see her."
Zhou Chujin disagreed. "She just wants to force you into seeing her."
Zhou Shaojin knew that everyone saw her as an easy target—when things didn't work with her sister, they turned to her. In her past life, she had always refused. But in this life, she could not push everything onto her sister and let her bear the stigma of being "unfilial."
Besides, this matter had started because of her!
"She keeps claiming she is acting on our mother's orders, doesn't she?" Zhou Shaojin said to her sister. "Then let's make things clear and see what our mother actually instructed her to do. Whatever our mother ordered, we will follow. But if it wasn't our mother's instruction, we cannot let her act recklessly. Otherwise, what about the other nannies who raised us?"
Zhou Chujin found this reasoning sound and looked at her sister with newfound respect. Smiling, she said, "Very well. I will go with you. You can speak with her, and I will listen from behind the screen."
Her sister was still worried she might be deceived.
But this was already a significant step forward.Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded. After explaining the reason to Old Madam Guan, she returned to the Zhou family ancestral home with Zhou Chujin, accompanied by Madam Ma Fushan.
Madam Ma Fushan settled Lanting in a side room behind the main hall, arranging for a maid and an elderly servant woman to "attend" to her.
In her previous life, Zhou Shaojin's impression of Lanting was limited to the matter of "removing the mother and keeping the child." Now that she saw her in this life, she couldn't help but examine her carefully.
She appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. Her skin was fair and smooth, her face a delicate oval shape, and her large, watery eyes blinked brightly, radiating an indescribable charm.
Zhou Shaojin was surprised.
Her mother had passed away eleven years ago, so Lanting must be at least twenty-four or twenty-five years old.
She hadn't expected Lanting to look so young.
Upon seeing Zhou Shaojin, Lanting immediately knelt before her with a thud. Tears fell like rain.
"Second Miss, I finally get to see you. When I left, you were only this small," she said, wiping her tears. "Poor me, thinking of you every day, yet not daring to disobey the mistress's wishes and let the master go to his post alone..."
Suddenly, Zhou Shaojin understood her sister's irritation.
Her mother had already passed away, yet Lanting still used her mother's name to seek personal gain... How shameless!
Zhou Shaojin interrupted Lanting's tearful account. "Get up and speak. The floor is cold."
Lanting was taken aback, then her tears fell even more heavily. "Second Miss, you are truly like the mistress, just as kind-hearted..."
Zhou Shaojin smiled without responding, directly taking a seat on the official's armchair in the main hall. She asked Lanting, "Can you write?"
This sudden and seemingly random question left Lanting somewhat confused.
After a moment's thought, she replied, "Yes. The mistress taught me before."
"That's good," Zhou Shaojin said gently. "I know that before her passing, Mother entrusted us sisters to you. Over the years, Father has respected you greatly because of this. This time, having you return to deliver Zhenzhu was actually our sisters' idea."
Lanting was stunned.
Zhou Shaojin continued unhurriedly, as if she hadn't noticed. "When Mother passed away, we sisters were still young. Looking back now, if it weren't for Father keeping a small portrait of Mother in his study, we might not even remember what she looked like. After discussing it, we sisters decided to call you back. Since you can write, why not write down what Mother said before she passed away for us? It would serve as a keepsake for us sisters."
Lanting immediately realized that Zhou Shaojin was annoyed by her constant use of Madam Zhuang as an excuse.
She sneered inwardly.
What Madam Zhuang said before her death—with Zhou Zhen not present—was entirely up to her to decide!
She nodded with feigned trepidation.
Zhou Shaojin instructed Madam Ma Fushan to prepare writing materials for her.
Madam Ma Fushan cast an admiring glance at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin felt embarrassed.
She knew Madam Ma Fushan had misunderstood. She simply didn't want to listen to Lanting's incessant chatter.
Soon, Lanting finished writing Madam Zhuang's "last words."
Zhou Shaojin skimmed through it quickly and asked Lanting, "Are you saying that Mother asked you to take care of Father and us?"
"Yes!" Lanting replied, her face flushed and her eyelids slightly lowered, appearing bashful.
Of course, there was more to it, but this sentence was the most important.Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "If that's the case, why are you unwilling to stay with the Zhou family? Father now has his stepmother to care for him, but we sisters lack someone to help us make decisions. Could it be that you are unwilling to look after us sisters?"
Lanting was stunned.
Was Zhou Shaojin truly unaware or just pretending?
Gazing at Zhou Shaojin's exquisite and beautiful yet slightly youthful face, Lanting suddenly felt she might have approached the wrong person!
But Zhou Chujin was even more formidable.
In Zhou Chujin's hands, she stood no chance at all.
Tears welled up in Lanting's eyes again as she knelt before Zhou Shaojin and said, "The eldest and second young miss have the Cheng family to care for them, but the master is alone outside serving as an official. How could I abandon him at his post all by himself..."
※
I know many of you aren’t particularly fond of scenes like these involving wives and concubines vying for favor, but please bear with me. What I’m writing is a sweet romance novel—the inner-house conflicts are truly minimal, and every plot point serves a purpose... o(n_n)o~
PS: Only two updates today. Tomorrow’s extra update is tentatively scheduled for around 3 PM.
Lastly, I’m asking for pink votes...
※ (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please feel free to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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