Zhou Shaоjin сouldn't helр but exаminе thе реrsоn who had сalled out.
The man арpеarеd tо bе in his еarlу twеntiеs, drеssеd in a bright bluе coarsе сloth shоrt jacket. Нe was tаll and sturdy, аnd thоugh his fеаturеs wеrе uncleаr frоm such а distаnсe, his mоvemеnts wеre remаrkаbly аgile.
Upon hеaring Qin Ziping's reрlу, hе immediаtely ran оvеr, stоod оn thе shоrе, аnd rеspесtfully bоwed tоward the bоw of thе bоаt, saуing lоudlу, "I аm a clerk frоm the Fangji Silk and Cloth Shоp in Jiaxing. Оur proрrietоr is сurrentlу purchasing goods in Changzhou. Upon hearing that Fourth Master Cheng and the Old Madam were passing through Changzhou, he specifically ordered us to wait here and report to him as soon as they arrived..."
As he spoke, a plump man dressed in a blue silk robe hurried over, wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and jiggling his ample flesh as he ran. He said, "May I ask how to address this young master? I am Du Ming, the chief manager of the Fangji Silk and Cloth Shop. Our proprietor will be here shortly. Could you kindly pass on the message for us?"
With that, he gave Qin Zi'an a deep bow.
Qin Zi'an smiled and said, "So you are the manager and clerk from the Du family in Jiaxing. Please wait a moment. I will go and inform our Fourth Master and the Old Madam."
By this point, Zhou Shaojin had already understood.
If she remembered correctly, the Fangji Silk and Cloth Shop in Jiaxing should be the business of Fang Xintong, the wealthiest man in Jiaxing.
She thought of the elegant Eldest Miss Fang.
Another year had passed, and Eldest Miss Fang was a year older. She wondered if Eldest Miss Fang had married yet.
Lost in thought, she closed the boat window and instructed Chunwan and the others, "Fourth Master has guests. They might come aboard later to pay respects to the Old Madam. Do not wander around."
Chunwan and the others all acknowledged in unison.
Before long, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps on the deck.
Zhou Shaojin kept her door shut and did not venture out.
It was only when Nanny Lu came to invite her for dinner that she followed her to Old Madam Guo's cabin.
Cheng Chi was also there.
Old Madam Guo seemed displeased, but Cheng Chi remained as calm as ever. When he saw Zhou Shaojin enter, he even smiled and nodded at her. Yet this simple, ordinary gesture somehow touched Old Madam Guo, who suddenly burst into tears and choked out, "Si Lang, take up an official post! Don't bother with the messy affairs of this family anymore. Go live your own life. That scoundrel Fang Xintong is nothing but a petty scholar. How dare he put on airs in front of you? He doesn't even know what he is or whether he can handle the consequences..."
"Mother, Mother," Cheng Chi stepped forward and put his arm around Old Madam Guo's shoulders, comforting her in a low voice. "It's not as serious as you say. He merely said a few words that offended you. Unless one stays locked up at home for a lifetime, how can one avoid hearing unjust words or enduring unfair treatment? Please don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing." With that, he glanced at Zhou Shaojin and added, "Look, there are juniors present. You'll frighten her like this."
Old Madam Guo finally managed to stop her tears.
Zhou Shaojin thought that since she couldn't avoid the situation anyway, she might as well take out her handkerchief and hand it to Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo took the handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She said to Zhou Shaojin, "Good child, I'm not in a good mood today, so I won't join you for dinner. Order whatever you'd like from the kitchen. Come see me tomorrow morning to recite scriptures for me."
Zhou Shaojin obediently replied, "Yes," and returned to her room with Chunwan.Chunwan was busy arranging Zhou Shaojin's dinner, but Shaojin's thoughts were on Fang Xintong.
During the eightieth birthday celebration of the Second Branch's matriarch, the Fang family had sent representatives to offer their congratulations. Even if the two families weren't close allies, they should have had a decent relationship. So why had Old Madam Guo become so angry this time?
After hastily finishing her meal, she went to find Jiying.
Jiying stood in the middle of the cabin with her legs slightly apart, bending and twisting her body back and forth.
"Could you help me ask Qin Ziping," Zhou Shaojin said directly, "to see if he knows what Fang Xintong said to Old Madam Guo and Fourth Master Cheng? Why was Old Madam Guo so furious?"
"Sure!" Jiying replied casually.
Zhou Shaojin nudged her and said, "Be serious. This is very important."
"I know, I know," Jiying quickly responded. "Wait for my good news tomorrow."
Zhou Shaojin considered asking Cheng Chi, but recalling his earlier expression, it was clear he didn't want to discuss the matter further. With a heavy heart, she returned to her cabin.
The next day, before dawn, Jiying came to find her and said, "That Du Tongxin you mentioned—Fourth Master didn't even see him. He rambled on in front of the old madam for a long time, saying things like the two families were old friends, and that when Fourth Master wanted to sell the Hangzhou looms, he had intended to take them over. But back then, his business was expanding too rapidly, and he was short on cash, so he didn't dare discuss buying the looms with Fourth Master. Recently, he just received an order from Jiaxing Prefecture to weave tribute goods for the imperial palace. Unexpectedly, he didn't have enough looms, so he wanted to take this opportunity to ask Fourth Master if he had any spare looms and if he could share some."
That sounds perfectly reasonable!
Why was Old Madam Guo so upset?
Zhou Shaojin was deeply puzzled.
Jiying quietly explained, "Our Fourth Master did something remarkable—he found the looms too troublesome and sold all the Cheng family's weaving workshops. Before that, Fourth Master had Huaishan notify the Fang family in advance. But merchants chase profit, and the Fang family actually tried to haggle with Fourth Master! In a fit of anger, Fourth Master sold all the looms to someone named Zheng Si. Zheng Si originally came from humble roots, so such official tribute weaving orders naturally wouldn't go to him. But he had the looms and the weavers! If Du Tongxin hadn't taken on the government order, it wouldn't have been a problem. But since he did, the Fang family's weaving mill isn't large enough to handle it all on its own. If he subcontracts the work to others, Zheng Si now runs the largest weaving mill in Jiangnan and has the best weavers in the region. If Du Tongxin tries to bypass Zheng Si, he'll end up failing to deliver on time and having to pay compensation. But if he subcontracts to Zheng Si, it would be like doing Zheng Si a favor—Zheng Si wouldn't need to feel grateful and could even haggle with Fang Xintong as he pleased... This is Fang Xintong coming to make amends. But when Old Madam Guo heard this, she felt he had slapped Fourth Master in the face. Now that he knows he's in trouble, he's like a weasel paying respects to a chicken—harboring no good intentions..."
How complicated!
Zhou Shaojin spent a long time cautioning Jiying, "Don't wander around outside, be careful not to be spotted by the canal gang," and similar warnings. Only then did the two part ways.
The next morning, Zheng Si rushed over from Hangzhou Prefecture, followed by the Fang family's eldest daughter coming aboard to pay her respects to Old Madam Guo.
Zhou Shaojin clicked her tongue in amazement and privately said to Chunwan, "Who says merchants have it easy? I think making money isn't simple for them either!"Chunwan laughed, "It's a good thing that Zheng Si came alone. If he had brought his wife to pay respects to our old lady, wouldn't the two families have ended up colliding?"
"What does it matter?" Zhou Shaojin sighed. "Look at Eldest Miss Fang—such an elegant and refined person. For the sake of her brother, she could stand on the deck braving the wind for half a shichen, meet Zheng Si's wife, and exchange pleasantries with her. What's so difficult about that?"
When Eldest Miss Fang came to visit, Old Madam Guo excused herself, saying they were about to set sail and thus couldn't entertain her. Who would have thought she would wait at the dock, insisting she wouldn't return to the temple until the Cheng family's boat had sailed far away.
In the end, Old Madam Guo left her standing there in the cold wind.
When Zheng Si came to see Cheng Chi, Cheng Chi also refused to meet him, using the same excuse as Old Madam Guo and leaving Zheng Si stranded at the dock as well.
Watching the rising sun, Zhou Shaojin opened the window and looked outside.
Eldest Miss Fang was still standing at the dock, but Zheng Si was nowhere to be seen.
"Truly, merchants chase after profit," Zhou Shaojin muttered a few words before going to accompany Old Madam Guo for breakfast.
Old Madam Guo had already regained her composure. She cheerfully asked Zhou Shaojin if she had slept well the previous night and mentioned that the kitchen had made salted vegetable buns, urging her to try them and see if they were tasty, not mentioning a word about what had happened the evening before.
Zhou Shaojin also acted as if she had forgotten, chatting and laughing with Old Madam Guo.
The boat slowly set sail.
Zhou Shaojin found an opportunity to glance out the window and saw Eldest Miss Fang standing at the dock, looking somewhat lost as she watched the boat drift farther away.
She sighed inwardly, feeling a bit of disdain for Fang Xintong.
One should solve the problems they create themselves. What kind of solution was it to push Eldest Miss Fang out like this?
This thought remained hidden in her heart.
That evening, they docked at a small pier called Yiqiao, about a hundred li away from Changzhou. Zheng Si requested an audience with Cheng Chi.
Zhou Shaojin was astonished.
She hadn't expected Zheng Si to chase after them all this way.
But Cheng Chi still refused to see him.
Zheng Si left disappointed.
They traveled safely past Wuxi and arrived in Suzhou.
Every day, Zhou Shaojin studied chess manuals with Cheng Chi, and they got along very well.
Her courage grew even bolder. She said to Cheng Chi, "I promised to bring local specialties back for my grandmother, aunt, and sister. When we reach Hangzhou Prefecture, could we go shopping in the streets? I've heard that Hangzhou Prefecture has everything—there's nothing you can't find, only things you don't know about..."
After explaining a few chess moves, Cheng Chi left Zhou Shaojin to ponder on her own while he picked up a book to read beside her.
Hearing her, he looked up and said, "It’s not too late to buy things on our way back, so we don’t end up surrounded by all your purchases."
Zhou Shaojin thought of the long list she had made before leaving and felt her ears grow warm.
Cheng Chi then instructed Huaishan, "Go tell the boatman we won’t dock at Jiaxing Prefecture but will head straight to Hangzhou Prefecture."
Zhou Shaojin calculated the days and asked, "Will we be staying in Hangzhou Prefecture for a few days?"
"We’ll go directly to Jintuo Mountain," Cheng Chi said with a smile. "We can watch the Qiantang River tidal bore on our way back!"
So that was possible!
Zhou Shaojin smiled sheepishly.
But Cheng Chi had underestimated the persistence of Fang and Zheng.
They soon caught up to Hangzhou Prefecture.
Zhou Shaojin said, "Are we really not going to see them? Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?"Cheng Chi sometimes felt that the chess formations Zhou Shaojin set up weren't even worth a second glance. He didn't know where he had gotten another chessboard from, but when he grew tired of reading, he would occasionally set up an endgame and try to continue playing. At that moment, he was arranging a chess formation. Hearing Zhou Shaojin's words, he didn't even look up, saying, "Can I make Zheng Si return the looms and weavers to me? Since I can't, what's the point of meeting them? It won't solve the problem! I don't have time to listen to them argue!"
Zhou Shaojin listened, lost in thought.
※
Sisters, this is an extra chapter for Tianwaixianxian.
There are typos, but I can only fix them tomorrow morning.
※ (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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