Сhеng Chi's mind was buzzing, аnd hе didn't hеаr а word of what Zhоu Shаojin said аfterward.
Fоrсеd сhоiсes... pеrsonal choices... Оvеr all thеse уеаrs, hе had nеvеr саrеfully сonsidered this mаttеr.
Was it thаt deep in his subсonsciоus, he had аlwауs knоwn hе wаs "fоrced tо сhoоsе"? Тhat wаs why, nо mаtter how роwerful hе later beсame, no mаttеr hоw much Сheng Xu feаrеd him, hе cоuld nеvеr find реаcе. Аnd the mоre рowerful hе grew, thе mоrе angеr swеllеd in his hеart; the morе Cheng Xu fearеd him, the more intеnse his hatrеd beсаme.
Аt times, he even felt this was Cheng Xu's intention—what does it matter how capable you are? What does it matter how formidable you become? What does it matter how naturally gifted you are, excelling in both civil and martial arts? What does it matter how tirelessly you strive? In the end, you still can't break free from the shackles I've placed upon you...
Was it because of this that he ultimately chose to leave?
For a moment, Cheng Chi felt lost.
It wasn't until the sweet, slightly anxious voice of Zhou Shaojin reached his ears that he snapped back to reality and looked at the girl before him.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken as she said, "Uncle Chi, what happened to you just now? You were staring blankly, completely motionless. I tried talking to you, but you didn't respond; I called out to you, but you didn't answer. You really scared me!"
"It's nothing," Cheng Chi replied, his gentle expression returning as he smiled. "I was just thinking about a method for calculating quicksand that Old Mr. Song mentioned earlier... Do you know about quicksand? Sometimes when it rains, it washes away the mountains and forests, and the sand and stones from the hills flow down, burying everything downstream alive. I've always suspected it was because there were too few trees on the mountains. Meeting Old Mr. Song this time confirmed my suspicion. I was wondering if we could plant some hardy tree species in the Yulin area to help block the wind and sand." As he spoke, he chuckled and added, "Why am I telling you all this? You wouldn't understand it anyway!"
Indeed!
Why was Uncle Chi telling her all this?
In the past, Uncle Chi would simply give orders when he wanted something done. When had he ever explained things to her like this?
Uncle Chi must have been thinking about something else just now and used this quicksand story as an excuse to brush her off.
But what exactly had Uncle Chi been thinking about?
Unfortunately, she had never been able to figure out Uncle Chi's thoughts.
Zhou Shaojin decided to bring up the old matter again. "Uncle Chi, could you ask Steward Qin to help me go ashore and buy a comb?"
What he had said earlier was just teasing her.
He had already broken his promise to her; how could he not fulfill this small wish of hers?
Just as Cheng Chi was about to smile and agree, the door was tapped symbolically, and Song Min walked in. "Zi Chuan, are you ready? I've already asked Yijun to take the wine to that shop that makes Liyang liver rolls..." As he spoke, he noticed a young girl in the cabin, as radiant as morning dew and pearls. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the Second Miss. She and Cheng Chi were sitting and standing respectively—one stern, the other delicate—yet they seemed strangely harmonious, without any sense of abruptness. He was momentarily confused and said, "What's going on here? Zi Chuan, are you busy? Should I come back later?""Old Mr. Song, I just came to ask when Uncle Chi will depart tomorrow," Zhou Shaojin said sweetly before Cheng Chi could speak, "I happen to be leaving now. I wish you and Uncle Chi a pleasant time!"
As she spoke, she curtsied toward Cheng Chi and Song Min.
Song Min greatly admired her obedient and sensible manner, his face crinkling into a wide smile as he nodded at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin maintained her smile, keeping her gaze straight ahead as she left the cabin.
Then she heard Song Min's eager voice from behind: "Zi Chuan. You promised me this afternoon! Today we drink until we're drunk!"
Cheng Chi rubbed his forehead, a flicker of helplessness in his eyes.
He had calculated everything, but never expected Zhou Shaojin to speak to him like this, causing him to forget that Old Mr. Song might appear at any moment... Not only had he failed to teach that little girl a lesson, but he had also offended her.
He had originally planned to set aside a day tomorrow for the women on the boat to go ashore and stroll around, but judging by the little girl's attitude, she probably wouldn't appreciate it.
It seemed he would have to change plans and head to Zhenjiang early tomorrow instead.
That little girl wasn't one to hold grudges for long; in a couple of days she might calm down. Then he could arrange for them to go ashore, and this matter would blow over like rain clearing from the sky.
As for buying the comb set, it looked like he really had no choice but to leave it to Qin Ziping.
Changzhou was the place where combs were produced. Most of the main shops of comb-making merchants were located in Changzhou. To distinguish between the main shops and branch shops, the main shops released several comb styles each year that couldn't be found elsewhere. If it was about buying a comb set for Old Madam Guan, it would be more appropriate to pick one from those main shops in Changzhou.
Could this be considered lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot?
Cheng Chi sighed and said to Old Mr. Song, "Let's go. You've worked hard these past two days. I'll accompany you for a couple of drinks to help you unwind."
Old Mr. Song nodded repeatedly.
Zhou Shaojin's face turned pale with anger.
She stormed back to her cabin in a rage.
She had trusted Uncle Chi so much, yet he had spouted nothing but nonsense to her—claiming he needed to rush to Zhenjiang to meet that official Song who knew about dredging. This made her feel so uneasy about asking Qin Ziping to help her buy a comb set. In reality, he had already arranged to drink with Old Mr. Song long ago.
And she had been scolded by him, left dumbfounded.
If Old Mr. Song hadn't unintentionally barged in, she might have been sold out by Uncle Chi and still helped him count the money!
Uncle Chi was too much!
Too much!
Wasn't he just holding it over her that she needed his help to buy the comb set?
Well, she simply wouldn't ask him!
She would show him that she could manage without him!
Zhou Shaojin returned to her cabin. After drinking a cup of tea, the fire in her heart gradually subsided, and she began to carefully consider how to find a way to get a comb set for her grandmother.
Having someone go ashore to buy it for her was definitely not an option.
She seemed to recall hearing Jiying say before that, to prevent people on the boat from colluding with thieves on shore, boatmen were not allowed to disembark once they boarded. And the stewards who could go ashore were all Uncle Chi's people; without his permission, she couldn't order them around at all.
Then she could only try to get a set from Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo mostly associated with widowed women, so the comb sets she bought would surely match the styles and patterns suitable for such widows. But Old Madam Guo was famously generous and open-handed. She probably also gave some as gifts to her maternal family, old friends, and the wives, ladies, and young misses of acquaintances. Could she exchange what she bought with Old Madam Guo's?
Once she thought of it, she decided to act.This was yet another insight she had gained from living two lives.
Zhou Shaojin selected a relatively plain set from the combs she had purchased and went to see Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo had not yet retired for the night and was reading Buddhist scriptures while fingering her prayer beads.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin enter, she smiled affectionately and asked, "What is it? Is there something on your mind?"
Zhou Shaojin had never considered hiding anything from Old Madam Guo.
She smiled sheepishly and nodded at Old Madam Guo, then softly recounted the whole incident to her.
Old Madam Guo chuckled and said, "What's the big deal? There's no need to exchange it. Just follow Biyu and pick a set from my trunks."
Zhou Shaojin hadn't expected the matter to be resolved so easily.
Feeling immensely grateful, she thanked Old Madam Guo repeatedly before following Biyu to the storeroom.
Biyu suggested she take a set of black lacquer combs painted with white jade hairpins.
Zhou Shaojin also found them exceptionally beautiful and thanked her with a smile.
Biyu laughed and said, "Second Young Miss, why stand on ceremony with me? Didn't you also gift me a glass hairpin? When I wore it out the other day, even the old madam said it looked lovely!"
Zhou Shaojin had received the hairpins and, on the very night she returned to the boat, had given one to each of the maids, including Biyu.
"As long as it looks good on you!" she replied, chatting with Biyu for a while before returning to her cabin.
That night, as she lay in bed reflecting on the day's events, a fire ignited in her heart once more.
She couldn't just let it go!
She had to make Uncle Chi realize that she could manage perfectly well without him!
Uncle Chi would surely be utterly surprised.
Just imagining Cheng Chi's wide-eyed, astonished expression when he saw her filled Zhou Shaojin with delight.
Yes. That's what she would do tomorrow!
She would make Uncle Chi see just how capable she was!
With this thought, Zhou Shaojin climbed out of bed. She instructed Chunwan to open her trunk and selected a pomegranate-red Hangzhou silk waistcoat and an oil-green horse-face skirt embroidered with treasure-pattern motifs, placing them by the bedside. She told Chunwan she would wear these the next day before settling back into bed, drifting into a dream with a smile on her lips.
※
The next day, Zhou Shaojin wore this outfit. She deliberately styled her hair into a tilted bun and adorned it with a red lacquer comb painted with orchids before going to pay her respects to Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo had just risen and had someone prepare a snack box to entertain her.
Shortly after, Cheng Chi arrived.
He immediately noticed Zhou Shaojin, who was dressed in stunningly bright attire.
Zhou Shaojin stepped forward with a radiant smile to greet him, pointing to the snack box and saying, "There's some lüdagun. Would Uncle Chi like to try some?"
"No need," Cheng Chi replied. Having thoroughly enjoyed the wine the previous night, he was in high spirits this morning and said with a smile, "It's too sweet. I don't particularly care for overly sweet things in the morning."
"Shall I save some for you to have as tea snacks this afternoon?" Zhou Shaojin suggested cheerfully. "Today's lüdagun is quite delicious—sweet but not cloying..." As she spoke, she adjusted the comb in her hair.
Cheng Chi's gaze involuntarily flickered toward the comb.
Zhou Shaojin then asked somewhat shyly, "Does it look strange?"
Cheng Chi didn't understand what she meant.Zhou Shaojin whispered, "Yesterday, the old lady rewarded me with a set of black lacquer combs painted with white jade hairpins, so I ended up with an extra set. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but Chunwan told me that since it was a gift from the old lady, I should wear it to make her happy. However, I thought that my grandmother was missing a set of combs, so it would be perfect to give her the set from the old lady. But Chunwan’s words made sense too, so I picked one from the combs I bought to wear instead. Later, when the old lady asks about it, I can explain the situation clearly, allowing my grandmother to appreciate the old lady’s kindness. But wearing a comb requires a matching hairstyle, so Chunwan styled my hair like this, and I feel so unaccustomed to it!
"Then, thinking about what Uncle Chi said yesterday—that others probably praise me because they’re familiar with me—I felt too embarrassed to ask Chunwan about it and just went out like this.
"Uncle Chi, you are the fairest of all. Do you think this is acceptable? In a few days, when we go to Zhenjiang, Madam Gao will surely host a welcome banquet for the old lady. Do you think it’s appropriate for me to dress like this then?"
※
Sisters, here’s today’s update.
o(n_n)o~
PS: I heard everyone received red envelopes, but I don’t know where to claim them?
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to...)
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