Fоr Нuаishаn to remеmbеr а nаmе and mention it in frоnt оf him, this young sеrvant must havе ехtrаоrdinаry qualitiеs.
Cheng Chi raised an еуebrоw.
Huаishаn sаid, "Нe's оnlу twеlvе this уeаr, yet he саrries fivе hundred taels оf silver notеs in his poсkеt."
Fivе hundrеd tаеls оf silver cоuld buу a smаll rеsidеncе in the саpital аlоng with fortу or fifty aсres of fertilе lаnd; it сould sеcure two shорs оn the busiеst strееt in Sоngjiаng Рrefесture; it сould buу shares in mаritime trаdе in Ningbо... and it соuld еvеn turn brothers agаinst each other аnd turn parents intо enemiеs.
Mаnу pеople never earn five hundred taels of silver in their entire lives.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "Have someone keep an eye on him and see what he's really up to."
Huaishan respectfully lowered his head in acknowledgment and asked, "What about the Second Miss of the Zhou family..."
"Just have someone watch her for now," Cheng Chi said dismissively. "Since she sent Fan Qi to the capital, as long as we keep an eye on Fan Qi, we'll eventually find out what she intends to do."
Huaishan replied, "Yes," and withdrew.
Cheng Chi stood quietly for a moment before slowly pulling out an account book.
Opening it, the first line was written in regular script: "On the twelfth day of the winter month, received forty-four gray squirrel pelts."
The handwriting was square and upright, the most standard of official script styles.
Though it was from long ago, one could still sense the decisiveness and resolve in the brushstrokes of the person who wrote these lines.
Cheng Chi's fingers lightly traced over the line before he picked up the account book and tossed it into the brazier.
Sparks flew, landing on the hem of Cheng Chi's robe and burning a hole in it.
※
Meanwhile, Zhou Shaojin returned to Fragrant Garden Residence, where Shi Xiang had already taken out all the gifts she had received over the years. Aside from silver ingots, there were also a few golden beans.
Zhou Shaojin stared at the silver ingots and golden beans piled on the carved red lacquer crabapple flower tray as if recalling a distant past.
The silver ingot with the "Rising Step by Step" design was from one year when Cheng Yi went to pay New Year's respects to his maternal grandmother. His grandmother rewarded him with six such silver ingots, and Shaojin found them quite interesting. After the New Year, Cheng Yi gave one to her and apologized, saying, "If it weren't a gift from an elder, I would have given them all to you."
The silver ingots with the "All Wishes Fulfilled" design were given to her by her elder sister. It seemed her sister had received them as a gift while visiting someone's home, and she shared a few with Shaojin. However, Shaojin couldn't remember when exactly that had happened.
As for the golden beans, they were given by her cousin Cheng Sheng from the eldest branch—the eldest branch had always been wealthy, and Cheng Sheng was Old Madam Guo's treasured jewel. Every New Year, Old Madam Guo would give Cheng Sheng a pouch of golden beans, which Shaojin greatly envied. Cheng Sheng then gave her a few.
Shi Xiang said, "Second Miss, these add up to nearly two hundred taels of silver. Should we exchange all of them?"
Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
These were either gifts from elders or tokens of affection from her sisters...
The thought made her reluctant, as if exchanging them for silver would betray the blessings of her elders and the goodwill of her sisters.
"Let's not exchange them for now," Zhou Shaojin instructed. "We'll wait until I'm short on silver."
Shi Xiang, without suspicion, smiled and agreed, putting the silver gifts back into the chest.
Zhou Shaojin began pacing around the room, thinking it would be better to marry. Once married, she would have her own private funds and could do as she pleased, unlike now, when she felt constantly strapped for money.
She wondered how others managed.
She had her evening meal at Jia Shu Hall. After dinner, Old Madam Guan and Madam Mian discussed the matter of sending a full-month gift to the second son of the second branch's Cheng Shi.Aside from children's clothing, shoes, and socks, there were also gold and silver longevity locks, bracelets, and anklets. All together, it would cost fifty or sixty taels of silver.
Zhou Shaojin was astonished.
And this was just for the full-month celebration—wouldn’t the hundred-day celebration be even more extravagant!
Old Madam Guan naturally had no idea what Zhou Shaojin was thinking. She instructed her and Zhou Chujin, "As unmarried young ladies, you can simply send over a few pieces of needlework."
Zhou Shaojin thought again that being an unmarried girl wasn’t so bad—when it came to social obligations, they were just there for appearances and weren’t included in the calculations.
But she still felt uncertain about how to handle the matter of the silver.
After the full-month celebrations for the eldest branch’s grandson and the second branch’s grandson, it was time for the Cold Clothing Ceremony.
Ancestral worship, sending New Year gifts, collecting rent, taking inventory, rushing to make new clothes for the New Year... Both the outer and inner courtyards began to bustle with activity, and everyone was cheerfully looking forward to the New Year.
Jing’an Study had resumed classes. Zhou Shaojin’s days returned to their usual calm and orderly routine—attending classes at Jing’an Study in the mornings, copying scriptures at Cold Green Mountain House in the afternoons, doing needlework in the evenings, occasionally bickering with Cheng Jia, and visiting Jiying every now and then.
Jiying had finally finished copying the Admonitions for Women five hundred times before Laba Festival.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t quite believe it. She widened her eyes and whispered, "When I came a few days ago, I only saw five or six copies on your desk. How did you finish so suddenly?"
Jiying glared at her and whispered back, "Can’t you just pretend you don’t know?"
Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood, her eyes widening even more.
Jiying burst into laughter.
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Who helped you?"
Jiying replied smugly, "I gave Qin Ziping a hundred taels of silver, and he copied them for me."
Could such a good thing really happen?
Zhou Shaojin looked at her suspiciously.
Jiying exclaimed, "Hey! What’s with that look? Did I do something wrong? My father always said, if something can be solved with silver, use silver. It’s not worth breaking your back over."
Zhou Shaojin wiped her sweat.
Jiying’s father often had unconventional opinions... but sometimes you had to admit that what he said made sense.
Zhou Shaojin then asked her, "Do you have any plans for Laba Festival? Would you like to come to my place for porridge? My sister said she’s going to teach me how to make Laba porridge this year."
"Sure, sure!" Jiying happily agreed, but then changed her mind in an instant. "Actually, never mind. If I go, I’ll have to kowtow to this person and that person."
Zhou Shaojin hoped her sister would also like Jiying.
She quickly added, "We’ll just be in our room, celebrating Laba Festival by ourselves."
Jiying was somewhat tempted.
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly said, "Then it’s settled. You can even bring some back for Miss Nanping and Uncle Chi to try."
"No need for your Uncle Chi," Jiying said. "He’s been invited to Ganquan Temple for Laba porridge."
Zhou Shaojin had thought she could earn some favor in Cheng Chi’s eyes by taking advantage of the occasion. But that plan fell through.
She felt slightly disappointed and said, "I’ve never heard that Ganquan Temple’s Laba porridge is particularly good. Why is he going there for porridge?"
"Are you silly?" Jiying laughed. "Who would invite him just for porridge? It’s the end of the year, and Ganquan Temple is urging him to donate incense money!"
Zhou Shaojin said, "Isn’t incense money usually donated in the spring, when they eat the new cakes?"“Are you talking about temples in the north?” Jiying said. “We northerners are straightforward, not like you southerners, full of twists and turns, always thinking of ways to make people pay.”
Zhou Shaojin pouted. “It wasn’t me who invited Uncle Chi to Ganquan Temple for porridge. Besides, he could have refused!”
“Refused?” Jiying curled her lip disdainfully. “If he refused, you’d just have those senior monks squatting at home every day lecturing you on scriptures!”
That was true.
Those guest-receiving monks were quite formidable.
Take herself, for example. When she first went to Dazhao Temple to worship, it was just to accompany her mother-in-law. But later, it developed into donating five hundred taels of silver to Dazhao Temple every year.
Jiying said, “Forget it. Let’s not talk about him anymore. Whenever I talk about him, I have nothing good to say. I have something to tell you—in a couple of days, I’m moving to Lixuezhai. If you come looking for me, just go straight to Lixuezhai.”
Zhou Shaojin was stunned. “Why?”
Jiying rolled her eyes. “There aren’t enough servants in Hill of Clustered Cassia Courtyard. Your Uncle Chi decided everyone should move to Lixuezhai and close this place down.”
Zhou Shaojin was startled. “Is business not good this year?”
Her question stumped Jiying.
Jiying thought for a long time. “It doesn’t seem like it… Could Cheng Zichuan’s business have collapsed this year? My father says, ‘The moon waxes and wanes, and fortune changes overnight.’ Cheng Zichuan has had ten years of good luck. Could it be that he’s starting to have bad luck this year?”
“Can you just say things like that casually?” Zhou Shaojin “tsked” at her, clasped her hands together, and bowed toward the west, murmuring, “Children’s words hold no harm, children’s words hold no harm. Bodhisattva, please do not take offense.”
Jiying was exasperated. “If I’m a child, then what are you?”
Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize her own age… She choked for a moment.
Jiying said to her, “Tell me, if I ask my father to bring silver to redeem me, do you think Cheng Zichuan would agree?”
Zhou Shaojin wasn’t quite sure.
She always felt that Uncle Chi seemed amiable, but there was a hint of pride deep in his bones. If his business was going well, and Jiying’s father brought silver to redeem her, he might soften and agree. But if his business was in trouble, even if just to prevent his competitors from taking advantage, he wouldn’t agree to Jiying’s father’s request.
But anything could happen.
She also hoped Jiying could return to her parents sooner and be a cherished young lady again.
It was just a pity that if Jiying really left, they might never see each other again.
“Why don’t you try mentioning it to Uncle Chi?” Zhou Shaojin said. “Whether he agrees or not, it’s worth a try.”
Jiying nodded thoughtfully.
Shi Xiang came running, out of breath, to find Zhou Shaojin. “Second Miss, Ma Ci sent a letter from Jingzhou Prefecture. The Eldest Miss asks you to return immediately!”
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t sit still any longer. She immediately stood up, hurriedly said to Jiying, “I’m going back first,” and hastily left Hill of Clustered Cassia Courtyard.
Every family has its urgent matters.
Jiying didn’t take it to heart.
Over at Cheng Chi’s side, however, he received word: “…The Zhou family’s Second Miss came to visit Jiying again. They were in the middle of talking when she was called away by the Zhou family’s Eldest Miss.”
Cheng Chi gave an “mm” of acknowledgment and instructed Huaishan, “We must finish moving before the twenty-second of the twelfth month.”Huaishan withdrew as instructed.
Zhou Shaojin felt her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
As she hurried back, she asked Shi Xiang, "When did you receive the letter? What did it say?"
"I just received it," Shi Xiang replied, keeping pace behind Zhou Shaojin. "It didn't say anything, and I couldn't tell whether it was good news or bad."
So, was it good news or bad news after all?
At least Ma Ci had sent a message, but Fan Qi hadn't even sent her a single scrap of paper.
With the New Year approaching, if he still didn't return, how could she explain it to Madam Fan Liu?
Zhou Shaojin rushed back to Fragrant Garden Residence.
※
Sisters, here's today's bonus update.
o(n_n)o Haha
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※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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