Сhunwan and the оthеrs blushed so dеeplу thеir fасеs sеemed аbout to drip blood.
Old Маdam Guо seсrеtlу nоdded in аррrоvаl, privаtely remаrking tо Nannу Lu, "This child is beсoming morе and morе оutsроkеn. Givеn timе, she'll be аnоther сарablе hand аt mаnaging housеhоld affаirs."
Nanny Lu, howеver, did not sharе this viеw.
Shе alwаys felt Zhou Shаоjin lаckеd а сеrtаin аuthoritу, mаking it difficult fоr cаpablе stewаrdеssеs to submit tо hеr. Shе vеntured cautiоusly, "It's just that her tempеrament is a bit tоo soft."
Оld Mаdаm Guo disаgreed, saying, "Do you think unyielding strength is always good? More often than not, it is gentleness that overcomes rigidity."
Nanny Lu dared not say more.
In the past, Old Madam Guo always believed that if a woman did not stand firm on her own, she could never live the life she desired.
But now she was leaning toward Zhou Shaojin.
From then on, she would have to treat Zhou Shaojin with more respect.
"Truly, the Old Madam has discerning eyes!" Nanny Lu flattered Old Madam Guo with a smile.
Hearing Zhou Shaojin's words, Chunwan and the others inwardly felt a chill, and from then on, they no longer dared harbor any dissatisfaction. Their attitude toward the Song family's servants also became much warmer. Amidst cheerful laughter and conversation, they arrived all the way in Changzhou.
Just ahead lay Zhenjiang.
They would part ways in Zhenjiang. Old Mr. Song and his family would continue northward, passing through Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, and Huai'an to disembark at Tongzhou and enter the capital, while they would head west, returning to Jinling.
Cheng Chi rubbed his swollen eyes and looked up, sighing to Old Mr. Song, "Listening to your words is worth more than ten years of study. I used to be like a frog at the bottom of a well, thinking highly of myself and believing there were few in the world who understood geomancy as I did. Only after meeting you did I realize there are skies beyond skies and people beyond people. Now, I truly wish to see what kind of grace and talent the renowned Minister of Revenue, Song Jingran, possesses!"
He had dealt with Song Jingran before but had never engaged in deep conversation. In his eyes, Song Jingran was merely a moderately accomplished scholar-official.
Now it seemed their acquaintance had been shallow, with words left unspoken.
Song Min laughed heartily and said, "What's so difficult about that? The doors of our Song family are always open to you. My only worry now is that you might be disappointed after meeting Jingran—I am not skilled in financial management, so Jingran had no choice but to learn to be meticulous about every penny from a young age. Fortunately, he later joined the Ministry of Revenue, putting his learning to use, which prevented his talents from being buried."
Cheng Chi silently mourned for a few breaths for the yet-unmet Song Jingran.
There were many in the world skilled in arithmetic, but throughout history, few had risen to the Grand Secretariat through arithmetic alone!
Song Min clearly held a somewhat dismissive view of his son, saying, "We've been calculating all along the way; let's rest today! Two years ago, I spent some time in Changzhou. There's a small shop called Wang Ji south of the dock that makes authentic Liyang stuffed liver. I still have a bottle of Luzhou Laojiao in my trunk, a treasure I collected in my early years. I couldn't bear to drink it even when my eldest grandson was born. This time, as I'm going to the capital for a long stay and don't know if I'll ever return to my hometown in Changsha in this lifetime, I brought that wine with me—let's drink it today!"
"Have we already reached Changzhou?" Cheng Chi exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes!" Song Min laughed. "Does it feel a bit like 'in the mountains, time loses its meaning'? Sometimes, when I calculate water flow and sediment deposition, I also become deeply immersed and unable to extricate myself!"
Cheng Chi's lips twitched.
He had promised Zhou Shaojin that on the return journey, he would let her stroll around freely...
But now, like a light boat passing through countless mountains, they had arrived in Changzhou in the blink of an eye.After seeing Song Min back to his cabin to change and freshen up, he quietly asked Qin Ziping, "What have the old madam and Second Cousin been doing these days?"
Qin Ziping replied, "The old madam has been chatting with Madam Song all along. Second Cousin either sits by them doing needlework or looks after Young Master Song."
"Looks after Young Master Song?" Cheng Chi frowned and asked, "How exactly does she look after him?"
Qin Ziping thought for a moment and said, "Either teaching Young Master Song how to write, telling him stories from the Three Character Classic and Thousand Family Poems, or playing Three-in-a-Row chess with him."
Cheng Chi couldn't help but curl his lip. "With her skill level, she can only play Three-in-a-Row to amuse a child!"
Qin Ziping chuckled and agreed, "Yes." He waited for Cheng Chi's further instructions.
But Cheng Chi paced back and forth in the room twice before stopping, his expression hesitant as he asked, "Apart from accompanying the old madam, listening to Madam Song, and looking after Young Master Song, hasn't Second Cousin said anything else?"
Qin Ziping felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Fourth Master rarely asked about someone in such detailed and specific terms. Those he inquired about so thoroughly were either people he considered opponents or those who played a key, decisive role in certain matters.
Second Cousin didn't seem to have anything to do with "key" or "decisive."
Yet he understood clearly in his heart.
The more this was the case, the more it indicated that this Second Cousin was not simple.
He quickly replied, "I haven't paid attention on my end. Should I call Granny Shang over?"
Cheng Chi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then go and bring Granny Shang in."
Qin Ziping barely managed to suppress the storm of emotions in his heart and walked out with a calm expression.
Cheng Chi, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the room twice more.
He had never broken a promise to anyone before, especially not like now—breaking a promise to a young girl who hadn't even come of age, and one who had once helped him...
Cheng Chi couldn't help but recall the look in Zhou Shaojin's eyes when she gazed at him, and he felt even more uneasy.
The little girl's eyes were filled with trust!
And such unwavering faith!
Faith that he would never harm her, faith that he would never break his promise to her, faith that he would never deceive her... as if she had never doubted him, even believing in him more than he believed in himself!
Yet he had betrayed that trust.
He wondered if that little maid had cried?
But given her temperament, even if she wanted to cry, she wouldn't do so in front of others. She would surely hide away in solitude, quietly shedding tears of sorrow.
It was already rare for her to come out, and who knew when she would have another chance? Watching the boat dock at various prefectural ports yet unable to disembark and look around—how disappointed and sad she must feel inside!
Cheng Chi rubbed his temples.
That little girl seemed as gentle and pliant as a willow, but when stubborn, she had quite a temper.
How could he make her feel better?
Buy her a set of jeweled hair ornaments?
Judging by the little girl's food, clothing, and daily necessities, it was clear that Zhou Zhen doted excessively on his two daughters. She might not care much for such things!
Apologize?
But he was her elder.
He couldn't possibly, as an elder, apologize to a junior. What authority would he have left in front of her then?
Or perhaps compensate her later, find a way to bring her out again?
Cheng Chi thought this was a good idea.
Compensating for what was lost—most people would be satisfied with that.
His mind was set.Sitting behind the desk, waiting for Granny Shang to arrive.
Granny Shang arrived even faster than he had imagined.
After Cheng Chi explained the reason, Granny Shang was surprised and said, "Fourth Master, Second Miss Cousin has been no different from usual these days. The maids around her have some complaints about Madam Song, and Second Miss Cousin even scolded them harshly!"
She told Cheng Chi about how Zhou Shaojin had reprimanded Chunwan.
Cheng Chi was very surprised. He said, "Are you sure this was said by Second Miss Cousin?" But before Granny Shang could reply, he had already mostly believed it.
The little girl he knew was exactly that kind of person—only remembering others' kindness, never their faults.
Granny Shang said, "Anyway, I haven't seen anything unusual while keeping watch in secret!"
Cheng Chi waved her away, feeling somewhat distressed.
If the little girl had already come of age and was a grown woman, he might have had excuses to justify himself. But now... wasn't this just taking advantage of a child?
Cheng Chi thought it over again and again, and finally decided to go find Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was sitting in Old Madam Guo's cabin, listening to her tell anecdotes about prominent families in Jiangnan: "The younger brother's wife of the Li family's clan leader is the third daughter of the Wu family. The third daughter's father was once a student of my father, and later, the second son born to Lady Wu married the sixth daughter of the Gu family. After Lady Gu married over, she had no sons. When it came to adopting an heir, they took the youngest grandson of the Li family's eldest madam, who then married a daughter of the Gu family. So not only am I very familiar with the Wu family's eldest madam, but I am also quite close with the Li family's eldest madam because of this..."
Madam Song was already thoroughly confused by the Li, Wu, and Gu families. She hurriedly said, "Please wait, let me think about it."
Old Madam Guo couldn't help but laugh.
Madam Song blushed and said, "I... I come from a common background. After arriving in the capital, I only socialized with a few officials from Huguang. But most officials in the capital are scholars from Jiangnan. I've never heard of the things you mentioned. That's why I said, they all seem to be relatives, and you are so kind and approachable, so I gathered the courage to ask you..."
Zhou Shaojin also couldn't help but smile.
Old Madam Guo said with a laugh, "These things aren't learned overnight. Not to mention your husband being an official from Huguang—even among local officials in Jiangnan, not many know these details. Take my three daughters, for example. If they hadn't grown up around me, hearing and seeing these things since childhood, even if I told them all at once like this, they wouldn't remember either."
Madam Song, however, felt that Old Madam Guo was helping her save face—children from ordinary families were simply different from those born into generations of official households. The latter knew from a young age who was related to whom and always knew the right people to approach when they needed help with something.
Her husband's disadvantage was precisely the lack of such connections—he had always been fighting alone. Otherwise, how could the position of Chief Grand Secretary have fallen into Yuan Weichang's hands?
At this thought, she was startled.
Yuan Weichang... seemed to be Cheng Jing's brother-in-law... and she had actually been asking Cheng Jing's mother for advice...
Madam Song suddenly felt extremely awkward.
But how could her expression escape Old Madam Guo's notice?Old Madam Guo smiled and said, "In families like ours, if you trace the connections, you can always find a few distant relatives. But as the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. Whether kinship feels real depends on how close you are and whether your temperaments align!"
"Exactly as you say, Old Madam," replied Madam Song, overjoyed at her words.
It was clear that Old Madam Guo did not find her behavior childish or laughable.
Looking at Old Madam Guo, she felt there was no one more tolerant, generous, and knowledgeable than this elderly lady before her.
"If only I had met you earlier!" Madam Song sighed with emotion.
A young maid entered and announced, "Fourth Master has arrived."
※
Sisters, here's today's bonus update.
o(n_n)o
PS: I can never write in the mornings, so today's update will still be around eleven at night as usual.
※ (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to...)
OpenNovel